See Behind the Mask
by Tomas the Betrayer
Summary: Ambition may burn bright, but it would take a fire much darker to ignite a 100-year old genocidal conflict. Burdened with his family's secret shame, Iroh sets forth on the eve of the final battle to save his loved ones from inhuman evil.
1. Breaking Away

The sun was going down.

And with it, something inside of Iroh began to die.

The veteran soldier and statesman shivered within his tent. A brazier burned, and the thick folds of the canvas served to keep out any errant breezes. But although he could not see the horizon, an innate sense belonging only to Firebenders allowed him to perceive the fall of twilight. This natural cycle was accompanied by the diminishing of his breed's powers. The flame of life that burned within him was most fragile at night. Still, the approach of dawn would serve to strengthen him.

Timing was essential here. His defenses would need to be at their strongest for what he had planned. The Dragon of the West returned his teacup to its setting and once more retrieved his brush. Warmed now by his favorite beverage, Iroh wrote the last lines of his message patiently, and with utmost care.

_I will not try to explain to you here the dangers that our family must face. If I am successful, whatever my own outcome, know only that you will be spared the same fate as your father, and mine, and even his father before him. It is for the sake of my brother's children that I must see this task through. What has been done unbeknownst to us, I would not wish even on your sister. _

_You may wonder why I do not tell you more, or considering the circumstances, why I would not seek the aid of the Avatar. But however cruel our family's history has been, we have never truly been the targets here. It has always been the Avatar who was in the gravest danger. I cannot ask him to risk himself any more than he already is. For all the four tribes, it has forever been the duty of the elders to protect the children. In my ignorance, I failed to do so for my own son. By this act, I mean to lay his spirit to rest. But you are alive. And in many ways, I feel that you are a better man than me. I believe that it is worth my life to see you reach your potential._

_If you are reading this now, it means that I am already gone. I entrust the world to you, son of my heart. But even if that is the case, the principal danger I spoke of could still remain. Should I return, have the Avatar beside you when we next meet. Have him look at me, and believe anything he tells you, no matter how preposterous it may sound. If I do not come back, then you must never use the contents of this box. It is a tradition founded in evil, as is so much concerning my grandfather. But even he is not solely at fault here. _

_I go now to avenge all the fallen, who died without ever understanding why. _

_Live strongly, rule wisely. Love yourself and the ones who care for you. That is the best advice there is. _

_I love you, Zuko. _

_Your uncle and friend,_

_Iroh_

The old scholar laid down his writing implements. He blew sand over the page, to speed in the drying of the ink. When this was done, Iroh rolled up the parchment and slipped it into a red leather tube. He then opened a worn box from his personal affects. The contents of the box were an old letter and two balls of imperial orange resin, each about the size of his fist.

Iroh reached in, and withdrew one of the petrified lumps. Gazing into its dull amber depths, he weighed his decision once more. So many times he had pondered simply throwing the wretched rock away. It was a threat to him and all he held dear. But always he had arrived at the same conclusion. Disposing of them would serve no real purpose, as more could be made. But he was a soldier as well as a tactician, and he recognized a weapon's value. This was a double-edged sword he held in his hand. And ultimately, it was the only hand he had to play.

The game of Pai Sho was one that involved using your opponent's moves to your advantage. Victory could often come about from only one well-conceived play of the White Lotus tile. The masters of this ancient contest recognized the inherent value of a single piece.

And so it was that the Grand Master of the Order of the White Lotus slipped the deceptively harmless incense-bearer into his pocket, replacing the older letter with the missive to his nephew. Iroh safeguarded the yellowed paper in his tunic, next to his heart. Having the parchment there made it seem to beat more strongly. He then closed and locked the box, using his personal seal to make his mark in melted wax on the surface of the latch. The seal went into his pocket as well. Wouldn't do to have someone opening this and then duplicating his own sigil to escape detection. He was a careful man, after all.

Iroh picked up a small satchel, draping it over his shoulder. He then put on a heavy robe to disguise the bag at his side. The last lingering days of summer were proving to be a bit chilly. No one would begrudge the old general this extra protection on his nightly stroll, or even stop to question why he was wearing sandals suited for a long journey. No reason to arouse suspicion. The time of judgment was still three days off, after all.

The box he left prominently displayed on his table. The dark symbol of Fire Nation royalty charred into its surface made it clear that the contents were meant only for his immediate family.

Drawing aside the flap of his tent, the retired commander gave a gracious nod to his two guards. They returned the gesture, used to his routine. Iroh moved past them without comment, heading deeper into the camp. In a little over an hour they would notice he had not returned as was his custom.

By then, he would be well away from here.

Moving through the staging area of the White Lotus forces, the senior member made passing greetings to several old friends. He waved away any offers of company with a smile, replying only that he wished to partake of this evening's beauty alone. In just a few minutes, he had reached the edge of the perimeter. The sentries there let him by without question.

As he took his first step into the wilderness, Iroh shivered.

Far to the west, he knew the sun had finally set.

His solitary journey had begun.

Though well into his sixties, the firstborn son of Firelord Azulon possessed a fortitude that would have been remarkable in a man half his age. He set himself a brisk pace once out of sight of the sentries. It would be best to put as much distance between them as possible, to avoid detection by any members of the camp. While highly educated on a disparate selection of topics, Iroh had to admit that he was unfamiliar with the animal cognition of flying bison, or winged lemurs, for that matter. Were they to sense his chosen method of transport's arrival, it might serve to delay his plans. But only delay. His resolve would not be deterred. Still, as he knew, timing was important. There was too much at stake to waste time in explanation. And should Zuko or the young Avatar learn what he intended, they would assuredly try to stop him. Iroh had wisely chosen not to give them that chance.

Cresting a rise, the aged warrior felt a slight bit of guilt for his actions. This caused him to turn about, and gaze back on the campsite of the friends and allies he had spent a lifetime earning.

Already it was growing difficult to see. Darkness fell so quickly in late summer after the sun went down. The tiny campfires were standing out with great clarity now, and he could see shadows moving back and forth before them. Somewhere down there, he knew his nephew Zuko was already abed, exhausted by the murderous training session his uncle had insisted upon. That too was part of his plan. Aang had been taken aside by Jeong-Jeong and Piandao, ostensibly for counsel on combating Firebenders, but in reality to keep the flighty Avatar thoroughly occupied with lessons on strategy, history, and craft. By now, Iroh was certain their world's savior was bored out of his mind. The Water Tribe siblings, Katara and Sokka, were being thoroughly entertained by their new grandfather as he regaled the homesick pair with news of their family and loved ones. And King Bumi had been tasked with challenging the Earthbending prodigy Toph to a friendly contest of skill. Knowing those two, the collapse of the surrounding terrain was not an unlikely occurrence.

No one truly wishes to deceive their loved ones. His old allies were well aware of this. But they were as well-versed in life and history as he, and Iroh had not been remiss by placing his trust in them. The respective masters of their arts heard his explanations, and proceeded to give their consent and support. Thanks to them, his departure had been uninterrupted.

A few moments were all he allowed himself. Regrets could come later. It was time to leave. Thus resolved, the aged Firebender turned and made his ascent out of the bowl-shaped depression their tiny army had occupied. The bare rock and scrub that characterized this region of the Earth Kingdom was allowing for little in the way of cover. Now that he was out of sight, it was not the good guys that concerned him. Patrols of Fire Nation soldiers accompanied by renegade Dai Li Earthbenders were cause for concern this close to the capital. Even though he had sent out the call several hours past, one could not expect his ancient ally to arrive at break-neck speed. They were both quite old, after all. But, he reflected with a smirk as he scaled a rock face, not without resources. Should he run afoul of a patrol, he felt confident that he could hold them off long enough for his back-up to arrive. It might even be worth it, just to see their faces.

Almost an hour later, Iroh had still not encountered any difficulties. The time he spent in prison had definitely done wonders for his constitution, if you could believe that. By now he was far enough away from camp to thwart any well-intentioned attempts to locate him. Climbing up onto a flat plateau, the stocky traveler drew several deep breaths. As he did, he kept a close watch on his surroundings. There was no indication that another living soul was in attendance. The raised area was several hundred feet in diameter, but still somewhat lower than the surrounding rise of hills and obscuring atolls. Apparently he had been right to choose this place to reconnoiter with his friend. His nightly walks about the perimeter gave him the chance to scope out a terrain that would be best suited for their meeting. When having guests over, one had to take into consideration their proclivities, after all. Iroh was nothing if not a considerate host.

After a few minutes of cautious perusal and feigned weariness, the devious nobleman confirmed to his satisfaction that he was indeed alone. With a slightly lighter heart, he made his way to a spot about halfway in, and settled down with a groan. No matter how you tried, age did creep up on you, he reflected. Actually, considering all the travails and irritations involved with growing older, it was strange to think that he could wish no better future on his loved ones than a very _long_ life, even with indecisive bowels and losing their hair.

Iroh chuckled at the thought.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's silly," he replied. "I was just…"

His voice then died away.

He turned to look behind him.

Eyes the color of palest jade gazed languidly in his direction. They seemed to be rooted on a spot somewhere off to his left. Were it anyone else, Iroh might have thought the individual was staring in that habit of self-hypnosis some people possessed.

But he was a learned man. And so he knew that blind people could not be hypnotized in that manner.

Blowing a strand of hair out of her face, Toph Bei Fong stood up, walked the few paces that separated her and Iroh, and punched him hard in the arm.

"GAH!" the old one gaped at her in a very hurt manner, clutching the injured spot. "What was that for?!"

"For being sneaky!" she snapped. The human tectonic shift then assumed a very irate posture, tiny hands on hips, leaning forward with her chin jutting out sharply. "So, would somebody like to explain why I shouldn't roll him into a dirt ball and bounce him all the way back to camp?"

She'd do it too. Iroh knew Toph well enough to tell when she was kidding. Now was not one of those blessed times.

"W-well," he stammered, searching for an explanation and finding himself remarkably tongue-tied in the face of this humiliating prospect. "I was… I never… I don't think…Who's to say… I mean…"

A cone of dirt and rock suddenly shot up to completely encase Iroh just below the chin. The prison then shaped itself into a perfect sphere under the potent influence of a master geokinetic.

"The lips moved, words came out, but nothing made any sense," Toph spoke to herself as she turned away, like she was rehearsing her own lines. "At that point, I decided further communication wasn't going to help, so I just carried him back. Sorry, Zuko. Well, I'm off to bed."

"WAIT!!" Iroh cried.

The little girl's profile came into view. "For what?"

Seconds ticked away. Then the prisoner sagged as well as he was able considering his confinement, and a look of resignation settled over his features.

"Toph, you have to let me go. I am in no way being less than serious here."

At his words, she made a complete revolution. Though her gaze was still centered on his throat considering their respective height, he could see that his speech had given her pause.

"Will you tell me what you're doing out here?"

Iroh hesitated. At the way her eyes narrowed, he quickly came to a decision.

"Yes. Now would you please…?"

Apparently that was enough for her. The earthen shell crumbled away in a heartbeat, so fast that the detainee almost fell over. Steadying himself with one hand on the ground, he felt an immense and unprecedented relief. He had not wanted to try and fight Toph. Even without the excuses of it being night and having been enveloped up to his earlobes in granite, Iroh did not like his odds when matched against this twelve-year-old blind girl half his size.

It was not an experience he would care to put down in his memoirs, should he get the chance.

Toph was now seated cross-legged before him. She settled her hands on her knees, alert to any move on Iroh's part, and adopted a menacing scowl.

"It's late, and I'm not happy. This better be good."

Although he was cognizant of the impending timeline and threats, seeing her there made the old sybarite quite curious.

"How did you find me, anyway?" he asked.

At this, a very evil grin stretched the child's lips, and Iroh shivered.

* * *

"Hey, Zuko."

Sitting naked in a steaming hot spring sandwiched between bubbling mud pits, the outcast prince of the Fire Nation gave a violent start, splashing water out over the rim.

"Careful, Hot Stuff, I don't want to get drenched."

Zuko's heartrate was at a distinctly labored pace. He turned to see Toph seating herself a few feet away from him, dipping her bare feet into the pool with a hearty sigh.

"Sokka said you wanted to talk to me about something." The pretty brunette settled back on her hands, casting a look over in his direction. Despite being perfectly aware of her handicap, the teenage noble found himself growing flushed at the reality of his unclothed state.

"After dinner," he growled. "I specifically told him I wanted to talk to you after dinner!"

"Suki already promised to paint my face after dinner," she replied negligently. "And Sokka also said you wanted to talk to me alone. We couldn't be alone then, and I did make the engagement with her first. It would have been rude to cancel. So I decided to come and see you now."

Some very ugly language he had picked up from Fire Nation sailors came to Zuko's mind, but he chose not to acquaint Toph with that particular area of his upbringing.

"Did he happen to mention that I was in the _bath?!!_"

"Duh!" she scoffed, kicking her feet lazily up and down. "How do you think I knew where to find you?"

"Toph!" the outraged royal snarled. "Now is not a good time!"

"Why not?"

She cocked her head to one side in a guileless manner, voice all innocence and purity. Zuko could have breathed fire. No, anger was no longer a part of his firebending, he admonished himself. He was stronger as a result, more in control of himself. He was all about saving life, not taking it, no matter how good it might make him feel.

While he was restraining his worst impulses, Toph's eyes suddenly grew very wide.

"Zuko! Are you… _naked?!_"

All she needed was a change of wardrobe and a different eye color, and it would be Azula sitting there. For all the fact that she was an only child, Toph apparently had a little sister's cruelty down to a tee.

_She's not evil, she's not evil_, Zuko thought resolutely. _It's not her fault she was abandoned at birth in the wilderness and raised by badger-moles. Just… stay… calm!_

"Yes, Toph," he spoke in manner both soft and non-threatening. "I'm very naked."

At this, she smirked.

"I'm telling your uncle."

That comment brought Zuko back to himself. He turned about completely and laced his arms over the edge of the pool, settling his forehead onto them with a sigh. "My uncle…" he whispered.

"Zuko?" All teasing had gone out of Toph's voice. "What's wrong?"

It was the same question he asked himself.

"I don't know."

The lone warrior's head lifted slightly, enough for him to get a look at his companion. She might not know it, but Toph had a very expressive face. Perhaps it was an off-shoot of being blind, but apparently one thing she had never learned how to do was hide her emotions in that regard. He supposed that since she couldn't use other peoples' faces to discern their moods, Toph had never placed much importance on that aspect of social behavior. As a result, her own features were an open book. It wasn't an insult. Actually, considering her complicated and often acerbic character, being able to tell what the audacious brawler was feeling at any given time added to her appeal. Her words might deceive you, but her face always let you know the truth. It might not be intentional, but coming from a world that emphasized duplicity and closing off oneself, Zuko found this particular trait to be quite refreshing. Even charming.

And right now, Toph was telling him that she was sorry for teasing him, and she was concerned about him. It was this unconscious admission that allowed Zuko to give his own feelings full throat.

"I'm worried about Iroh," he admitted. "It's nothing specific, but since we got here, I've been getting the impression that he's hiding something from us."

"You mean he's lying about something?" the Earthbender hazarded.

"No. Never. My uncle wouldn't lie to me." He grinned suddenly. "And besides, you could tell right away if he did, right, Truthseeker?" She smiled back at him, and the sight made Zuko feel pleased with himself. "Actually, it's more the sense that he knows something awful, and he doesn't want to let us in on it, because then we might get hurt somehow."

Toph scrunched her knees against her chest, hugging them tightly. "He's not… sick, is he? Like… dying?"

The thought made Zuko wince. Actually, the idea of losing his indomitable fighter of an uncle to something unchallengeable, like an illness, hurt enough to almost bring tears to his eyes. He rubbed his palms furiously against them, determined not to give in to those useless fears. "I haven't seen any sign that his health might be failing." The great man's nephew was now thinking very clearly, at least in his opinion. "It's more a… perception of distance. Like he's keeping us at arm's length somehow. Almost as if he doesn't want us to depend on having him around when the final battle comes."

Toph's head bowed slightly. "It is his father's son we're fighting. Iroh's been there for all of Ozai's life. Maybe in the end, he just can't bring himself to raise a hand against his only brother in the whole world. Because he knows that when it's all over, he might not have one anymore. Sokka once told me that big brothers feel very strongly about protecting their younger siblings."

The firstborn son of Ozai tapped a finger uncomfortably against his forearm. "It's hard to give that theory much credit. My father hasn't even been approachable for eight years, much less lovable. And my little sister is the one I needed to be protected from. She once woke me up by smothering me with a pillow. She said it was just a joke, but if our mother hadn't pulled her off me, I might not be here today."

Toph fell flat on her back, kicked her legs up into the air and howled with laughter.

After several seconds of angry glaring at her flailing form, Zuko managed to mutter, "It's not funny, you know."

"YES, it IS!" she gasped in between chuckles. "The way you said it! And the way you're reacting now! It's PRICELESS!!"

When she showed no signs of stopping or expressing remorse for her own actions, it occurred to the scowling youth that, perhaps if it had happened to someone else, it would be funny to him. A brief mental image of Zuko suffocating Toph with a cushion at this time brought a smile to his face, and he was forced to chuckle. Then, drawn in by her contagious hilarity, he started to laugh as well. The two of them then proceeded to roar in unrestrained mirth for what seemed like forever, striking the ground with their fists. At one point, when their exuberance began to tamp down into wheezing chuckles, Zuko looked towards Toph at the exact same instant she stopped rolling around the floor and raised her head towards him. At this sight, he couldn't keep himself from bursting into a fresh round of uproarious guffaws, which in turn brought her back into the realm of delirious giggles. Uncontrollable hooting caused their stomachs to hurt, and tears came unbidden to both their eyes.

They laughed until they cried and anyone nearby must have thought for sure they were both mad. When it was all over, Toph had crawled over to Zuko and flung her arms around his neck, pounding on his back while he hugged her fiercely. They were both shivering and giggling in the others' embrace. It was the hardest either of them had laughed in their entire lives.

When they had both finally caught their breaths, huge grins still plastered on their faces like happy scars, Zuko was the first to realize the situation they found themselves in. Her, hugging him. Him, hugging her. Her, a girl. Him, a boy. Her, fully clothed. Him…

Without garments.

Apparently Toph came to this realization at around the same time. They both held very still. He could feel her clothes against his bare flesh, as well as pearly white skin over firm Earthbender muscles in some places. She noticed with vague distraction that the Firebender was extremely warm, like a furnace was inside him, and his hair was wet against her cheek. A feeling of intense heat in her own face caused the petite powerhouse to gently disengage from her friend's embrace. Zuko did the same.

"Heh," he mumbled, pushing a hand through his sodden mop of hair. "Ah…"

"Yeah," she murmured, features flushing scarlet. "So… did you… want to ask me for advice or something?"

Zuko found he was staring at her, and had to force himself to think clearly. They had gotten off track somehow, but Toph was kind enough to get their course set straight once again. "Toph… I wanted to ask you if you would please keep an eye on my uncle." When she turned back to him with a raised eyebrow, he quickly realized his slip before she could say anything. "I mean… in your own way, keep tabs on him."

"You mean spy on him?"

"No, not _spy_, per se. Just… you know how he wanders off every night. I get worried. It's a custom of his, but we're in enemy territory now. I'd feel a lot better if you would stay close to him at those times. Discreetly, of course."

"Of course."

She was making no attempt to hide her grin. And as much as he knew his status as her elder and a prince should cause him to frown right back, strangely enough an answering smile was what came to his features.

"So you'll do this for me, then?"

"Yeah, sure," she drawled, and got to her feet with a wave. "It's probably just you being prickly and over-sensitive, but I guess I've got nothing better to do until the fighting starts."

"Thank you, Toph." Equal parts insincere sweetness and sarcasm rolled off his tongue.

"Well, I guess I'll get going," she laced her hands behind her head and turned away from him. "Gotta go tell everybody in camp that I saw Zuko naked."

There was a splash, and warm sulfur water drenched the back of her pants. The rollicking adolescent squealed and jumped. When her heels came back to earth, a column of mud arose from the nearby pit and dumped itself on Zuko's head.

"THAT'S IT!!" he spluttered, rising from the pool, indecency forgotten. "I AM GOING TO DRAG YOU INTO THIS TUB KICKING AND SCREAMING IF I HAVE TO, LITTLE MISS BLIND BANDIT!"

"HELP!" Toph shrieked happily, racing away. "THE BLUE SPIRIT'S AFTER ME!!"

* * *

She was smirking now. And Iroh couldn't help but shake his head. Just a year ago the thought of Zuko being able to participate in such merry-making would have left him doubting his own sanity. Now it came as a most welcome and gratifying relief. The young prince finally knew what it was truly like to have a little sister.

The thought of siblings brought him back to their present situation. The former conqueror felt his mood diminish somewhat. Alert to his presence, Toph recognized this.

"Now that I've told you why I'm here, I think it's only fair that you do the same."

Iroh was prepared. He had used the interval gained by Toph's recitation of bathroom humor to ponder other ways of stalling for time, and now possessed at least six. First, appeal to her pride.

"If you insist. You'll have to give me a moment to collect my thoughts. I wasn't expecting any of you to evade my friends' efforts. Frankly, I'm quite impressed that you were able to outmatch Bumi. He has held the title of World's Greatest Earthbender since before I was born, and even with your remarkable talents, I thought he could at least hold you off all day if he had to."

"The thing about Bumi…" Toph sniffed and rubbed her nose, "He's an incredible fighter, no doubt about it. He's actually taught me, which is something no human Earthbender has ever been able to do. I learned a lot from him in just a few days. But there's one thing people tend to forget about Bumi after knowing him for a while. He's 108 years old."

"Ah… yes, I believe he is that old, actually." Her captive audience was momentarily at a loss. Just what did that have to do with anything? Surely she wasn't implying that Bumi was too old to have posed a challenge to her. The man could shift continents if he was so inclined, and his brain, while certainly not functioning on a normal level, was better described as genius than deficient.

"Yeah. Being old is rough, huh? You lose your hair, you have to gum your food…" Iroh couldn't help but glower a bit at those remarks, but she didn't notice, "… and your sleeping cycle changes. Did you know that Bumi goes to bed right around the time most of us are eating dinner?"

The old-timer winced. Blast! He had completely forgotten about the crazy king's bizarre sleeping habits! The man slept three times a day, never more than two hours at a pace.

"He put up a great fight, though," The blind earthmover continued pleasantly. "After about an hour he had me pretty worn out. If it was an Earth Rumble match, I gotta admit the judges probably would have given him the win. But in between one boulder and the next, he just started snoring. Standing up, even. I made him a soft dirt bed to lie in, and went underground for a while. That's how I travel when you and I go out together, even though you didn't know it. Maybe if Bumi had ever been awake on your nightly walks, he could have told you that I was tagging along below your feet."

"That's very impressive, Toph." And he meant it.

"Glad to hear it." She scratched an armpit. "And before you say anything else, I want you to know that if you try to put off explaining this trip one more time, I _will _wrap you up like a butterfly-snake in its cocoon and haul you back to Zuko for a lecture."

A detailed attempt to correlate Earthbending with Pai Sho died on his lips. The time for dissembling was over, it seemed. Clearly only something as urgent as the truth could save him now.

"I'm sorry to have attempted to mislead you." He noticed her clenched face soften at his honest admission. Toph was expressive in a variety of ways. "I had to set all this up in order to keep anyone from trying to accompany me."

"So you're not just abandoning us." He shook his head quickly at her accusing tone. No. Never.

"What I have in mind is too dangerous for young people like you. It is an expedition that can only be made by someone who has come to grips with their own potential death. I do not truly expect to survive this journey."

Her beautiful pale green eyes grew wide. "Iroh, you're scaring me."

"I'm sorry." Her gentle teacher reached out and laid a large hand on one tiny shoulder. The girl's stubby fingers reached up and closed about his wrist. As she did, Iroh noticed something off in the distance that Toph could not. He would have to make this short, he realized. His friend was coming.

"It has never been my intention to run from my problems. I did that once before, when I was feeling old and scared. I meant it when I told Zuko that I accompanied him into exile for his sake, but it was partly out of my own desire to get away from the threat that still hung over both of us. In truth, there was not a day that went by for the eight years leading up to that morning when I was not afraid. For myself, and for Zuko. Even when we were away from that place, I knew that one day, whatever the outcome of his quest, I would have to return and…face… that fear. But I also knew that I had to understand it. Once we were away from the royal court and all its intrigue and dangers, I felt certain I could contact my old network of friends and eventually learn what it was I sought. It was while we were living in Ba Sing Se that I finally uncovered the truth about our family. I permitted Azula to capture me in order to return to the Fire Nation capitol and retrieve something hidden there. The Black Sun offensive gave me the tools necessary to complete my final task."

"You're not making any sense. Stop talking all wise and mysterious, just come out and say it." Toph's head cocked to one side, and she frowned slightly. Apparently she could hear it, even from this distance. But there was no way she could guess what it was that was coming towards them. Being blind did come with some limitations, even for her. Iroh had been counting on that from the moment she appeared. He kept his voice low and soft, so that she would concentrate on picking out his words, and nothing else.

"There is a reason behind this war, Toph. One that has nothing to do with conquest or ideology. Subjugation of this world by the Fire Nation is only an outcome, not a true goal. The extinction of the Air Nomads, the hunt for the Avatar, the corruption and degradation of those charged with preserving memory like the Dai Li and the Fire Sages: all of this has been engineered with a single purpose in mind."

A wind began to blow over them. Toph shivered, but otherwise paid it no mind. Good. The less warning she had, the better.

"So what is that purpose, then?"

Iroh flicked a glance up, before settling his attention back on her.

"The destruction of the Avatar spirit cycle."

Her fair skin blanched. "WHAT?!!"

Then Toph finally seemed to register something out of place.

Just as an enormous shadow swept over them both.

Iroh sprang up and ran. The ultra-sensitive martial artist did not attempt to follow suit. If the old Firebender thought he could escape her somehow, she would just have to teach him why her father's guards had given her the half-joking and half-reverent title of 'Never-Trips Toph.' She knew exactly where everything around her was, felt each heavy footfall, and could sense the workings of his body through the earth to an almost divine degree. There was nothing in her environment that was not known to her.

She drew breath to plunge the racing escapee into a sinkhole up to his eyebrows, when the whole world jumped violently beneath her feet.

The experience actually lifted Toph off the ground. For just a moment she flailed, truly blind. Not Earthbending! Whatever had happened, it was not an occurrence shaped by her kind, she would definitely have felt that. So what…?!!

A split second later her butt hit the ground, and Toph got her answer.

Thirty feet away from her, a gigantic monster pawed the earth, radiating heat and power to an extent that the sightless wunderkind had never experienced. Toph could only gape in stupefied amazement at what her senses were telling her. It was over a hundred feet long from snout to tail. The muscle configuration in its body reminded her of both birds and reptiles, though clearly hundreds of times more powerful. Its skeletal system was oddly hollow in places, and in spite of dwarfing even badger-moles in size, it didn't seem to weigh as much as one might think. There were teeth, and scales, and a strange collection of lung-sacks throughout its entire mass that seemed to be filled with nothing but hot air, she realized fleetingly. The harsh smell of sulfur and reptile body filled her nostrils.

But the most amazing things of all were the wings. She could feel their incredible system of skin and bone crisscrossing over a width that almost rivaled the length of the beast's whole body. Tendons the size of her arm contracted with a force that she could actually _feel _through the ground, it was so strong. These vast pinions were apparently more than capable of lifting this sky-lizard into the air, for it was now clear to Toph that it had _flown _here, preventing her from sensing its presence until the last second. It was also clear that Iroh was making his way towards this thing.

Suddenly, a few things clicked in Toph's memory. Stories that her old nursemaids had told her in an attempt to scare the unflappable little girl into staying indoors. Aang and Zuko sparingly discussing their training with Firebending masters whose identities they could not reveal. The name of a Firebending form they learned. And a nickname she had heard Hot Stuff give his own uncle.

The Dragon of the West.

As she picked herself up, Shao the Blue Dragon looked over its shoulder and snorted curiously at her.

Iroh did not stop to explain either of them to one another. Before Toph could entrap him once more, he had already reached the side of his old Firebending tutor. The intelligent animal settled its bulk down, allowing him to find a foothold on its steaming hot haunch. As he had only once before in his whole life, the royal heir to the Sun Warrior's legacy then clambered aboard the dragon's back, settling in between the soft spines.

"FLY!" he shouted, letting loose a torrent of flames from his mouth. In response, Shao unleashed an answering conflagration skyward that put his own submission to shame. She flapped her wings, lifting dust and any loose objects into the air. One of the two last remaining dragons in existence then lifted herself off the ground, bringing her sinuous form back into its natural element. The night sky almost seemed to blaze with her majestic presence. Faster than anything alive, the queen of the sky then shot eastward, bearing her charge on his self-appointed mission.

As the whole world spread out below him, Iroh laughed and whooped happily. Even knowing that he might be heading to his death could not dampen the soaring enthusiasm and excitement he was feeling. There was truly no experience so life-affirming, no risk so thrilling, as riding on the back of a dragon. When he first laid eyes on them over thirty years ago, Iroh had known that he would never see anything more beautiful for the rest of his life. How anyone could bring themselves to kill such a treasure, he could not understand. No mere human prestige or accolades could ever fill one's heart to the brink of exploding the way these heavenly beings could just by looking at you. In their eyes was a recognition that spoke to the very basis of life within you. They were more alive and had greater awareness than the most long-lived of savants.

The Dragon of the West closed his eyes and spread his arms wide, exulting at the opportunity to experience this sensation for a second time in his life. Was there anyone throughout history who would not be humbled and grateful at the chance to dance through the sky with a dragon?

From behind him, there came a high-pitched scream.

Jolted rudely from his philosophical reverie, Iroh looked over his shoulder.

At first, he couldn't pick anything out. With the fall of night, and the constant up-and-down movement of his living transport, his admittedly diminishing eyesight could not locate the source of that cry.

After a few seconds of careful scrutiny, though, he realized there was something out of place.

Shao's tale was whipping up and down. The feathered deep blue tassel on its tip was like a banner against the twinkling heavens.

And standing out against that azure flag was a small blot of yellow and green.

As Iroh stared in dawning horror, Toph took a deep breath and screamed once more.

"GYAAAH!" her elder waved his arms in consternation, almost as though he were attempting to fly himself. Realizing their current situation, he then came to the most reasonable conclusion. They should land. Right now.

But…

As soon as they did, Toph would be certain to put her prowess to good use. She might be terrified now, but Iroh felt certain that the merest touch of earth would bring her to her senses enough to try and trap both him and possibly even Shao. There was no guarantee that he could prevent the dragon from reacting violently towards anyone attempting to subdue her. The beast wasn't a domesticated pet, after all. And at any rate, they just didn't have the time. That settled it. There was only one thing to do.

Coming back around, Iroh drew breath and shot a stream of flame ahead of their course. Not diminishing her flight, Shao turned and gave him a quizzical look. Her admirer then spun a circle of flame from his fingertips, and maneuvered it against the raging winds back along her body until it bobbed over the small uncomprehending hanger-on clinging to her tail.

There was some truth in the legends concerning the superlative power in a dragon's eyes. If not in their hypnotic abilities, then at least in regards to their keenness. A hawk would be considered myopic by comparison. Shao's breed could see with perfect clarity from one side of the horizon to another if need be. So while the weight of her second passenger had been sufficiently slight as to escape her notice, Toph's presence on her tail stood out plain as day.

While seemingly inhuman in appearance, another of the dragons' more salient characteristics was their intelligence. A mere animal would have simply tried to dislodge the burden with a few well-placed shakes of the tail, to let it fly or fall on its own. But the royal lizard's brain recognized this as unnecessary. More importantly, her true passenger had treated this one with some consideration. It was no trouble for Shao to do the same.

With that, the dragon lifted its tail forward carefully, and dangled its plume before Iroh. Her old friend reached up and drew the terrified child into his embrace kicking and screaming, and the dragon continued on its course. He held onto Toph, speaking as calmly and softly as he was able considering their situation, telling her that it was all right, nothing was going to hurt her now.

After almost a minute, the trembling and screaming finally subsided. Her constrictive hold on his body lessened somewhat, and Toph drew away until he could see her clearly. At the sight of her tear-streaked helpless face, Iroh's sympathy and guilt increased ten-fold.

Then without even a change in her expression, she punched him hard in the chest.

Iroh grunted in surprise, but he kept his seat. Shao's back was sufficiently broad enough to prevent them from falling off, at least not without difficulty. Gazing into her precious gemstone eyes, the determined warrior suddenly found his previous good humor replaced with a very heavy weariness.

The best description of Toph's mood would be apoplectic fury.

She grabbed a handful of the front of his robe and yanked him towards her. Being blind and out of her element, she miscalculated their relative positions, causing them to collide foreheads painfully.

As they both rubbed their sore spots, Toph finally found her voice.

"IF YOU DON'T TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON HERE RIGHT NOW, I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR FIRE-BELCHING ASS! YOU GOT IT?!!!"

With a rueful groan, the one-time conqueror accepted his defeat.

The dragon continued to bear the mismatched pair northwards, on a quest to right a one-hundred year old crime.

_To be continued…_


	2. Conflict Nation

Toph loved her friends. But she was beginning to suspect they were all secretly conspiring to find new and more gut-wrenching modes of transportation for her.

Queasily swaying up and down on an unstable metal tub had been only a slight improvement over flying blind while desperately clinging to the back of an inflated shag carpet, which was itself rivaled by the knowledge that one was encased completely in an aquatic environment held back only by the relatively thin walls of an experimental underwater apparatus. Aang's euphoric descriptions of exhilarating vistas stretching from one horizon to the next never included her own ordeals of disorientation, nausea, sinus pressure headaches, and nigh uncontrollable urges to scream. Still, in spite of all this, Toph felt proud to have held up as well as she did.

It was a very sullen Earthbender who was now sweating on the back of an undulating cross between a hawk and a gecko. Part of it was due to the heat that radiated off this thing in waves. The rest came from shivering heartfelt fear. Her boon companion Iroh, in his infinite wisdom, had managed to concoct a means of travel that combined heaving motion with the bone-quaking terror of being rendered insensate and childishly dependent on the mood of a large temperamental beast who could possibly drop your fragile body into a fatal environment. You go, Iroh, she thought! Way to keep up that family legacy of endlessly inventive cruelty.

The hapless terra former was resolved to seek vengeance for this little escapade the moment her feet touched solid earth once more.

As if reading her mind, she heard her companion speak.

"I wish you hadn't come with me, Toph."

The sound of the wind and endless beating of wings made it necessary to raise their voices somewhat. Only in the last few minutes had he been able to calm her with assurances from both rider and mount to the point where Toph could keep her decibel level below screaming pitch. As it was, she managed to sound like a singing gopher instead of a unagi.

"My wish is to see you buried to your ankles in dirt. Upside-down! Guess which one of us will get our wish as soon as we touch earth?!"

She had taken every attempt at making conversation on his part as an excuse to vent her hostility towards this situation. Despite Iroh's assurances that the dragon Shao was not only a reliable mount but easily wide enough to accommodate them both, she had not been able to rid herself of the impression that she was about to slide off its back at any moment. At least with Appa, you could grab a hank of fur in each hand and hold on for dear life. This sky lizard was completely hairless along its trunk. She had a vague recollection of feathery tufts sprouting around the head. But maneuvering to that spot would require her to release her death-grip on one of the malleable spines protruding from its back. And this, Toph would not do.

In spite of trusting one another with their lives, neither the girl nor her aged male counterpart had been comfortable with the notion of him holding her on his lap during this journey. There was no one to see or make assumptions, but why make an issue where one didn't exist? Their relationship was tenuous enough as it was right now without adding that into the mix. An offer to sit beside him had been firmly rebuked, on the grounds (_some ground, any ground, please!_) that she was not going to risk one of them dragging the other over if they began to slide off the dragon's spine. So the old general remained seated cross-legged between two combs, while the little blind waif held firmly to the base of another protuberance one space up.

She was definitely starting to feel sick.

Once again, the Amazing Iroh took that moment to demonstrate his telepathic abilities.

"You know, on a ship, if the rocking starts to make you feel ill, you should focus on the horizon. It helps to…"

He caught himself just as one of Toph's fists unclenched from the soft folds of skin and slowly rose over her head. She held it there, white-knuckled and trembling, speaking without words. When it was clear by his silence that he was sufficiently chastised, the hand went back down to affix once more to her clumsy perch.

"I'm sorry, Toph."

After a few seconds, she gave a sharp nod of her head. Apology accepted. But her condition remained unchanged. And she did not know what to do about it.

"Toph?"

He had better not point out her unilateral decision to take this trip again, or she would do her level best to throw up on _him_.

"I understand if you might need some help to keep from losing your dinner."

This was growing uncanny.

"Would you like to hear a story?"

That caught her attention.

When she was younger, one of her more resilient nursemaids (_she had lasted a whole month_) happened to labor under the impression that children could not be put to bed without the aid of a story. Upon leaving the employ of the Bei Fong family for reasons unspecified, unbeknownst to Toph, while a significant financial compensation from her parents had served to keep said employee from revealing to anyone the existence of their little secret, her next employers' darlings were kept entertained by the story of the mysterious little blind girl who could disappear at will and took delight in transporting people miles away from their beds in the middle of the night without any indication of how this was accomplished or evidence to prove she was indeed at fault. Still, leaving that little nugget of truth aside, the only real reminder of this person having existed in Toph's life was a profound appreciation for how storytelling could keep a person wide awake no matter how tired one might feel. Considering that going to sleep in her current position was a fear that, no matter how unlikely that occurrence, kept her heart constantly beating at a slightly elevated pace, the notion of a story was met with unabashed enthusiasm.

"I hope it's a good one."

She could hear Iroh give a half-hearted chuckle. "Actually, it is a true story. Whether or not you find it to be of interest depends entirely on my gifts as a story-teller."

He began to tell it then.

And as she listened, the gusting wind and constant movement began to gradually recede into the periphery of her awareness.

* * *

"No!" Zuko shouted.

"Yes," Azula insisted.

"NO!"

"Yes!"

"NO!!"

"YES!"

"I'M DONE TALKING TO YOU!" The eight-year old prince of the Fire Nation dropped to the ground of their family garden, crossing his arms and adopting an expression of sullen petulance.

His little sister rolled her eyes condescendingly. This was just typical of Zuko. He huffed and stormed, and if she ever so much as raised a hand to her brow, he accused her of plotting against him. It wasn't true. She didn't have something devious in mind all the time.

Azula preferred to think of her ideas as 'brilliant.'

The golden-eyed prodigy began to pace slowly around her childish elder. He kept turning his head at what must be an uncomfortable angle to keep her in view, and whipping it quickly around, as though afraid of losing sight of her.

Actually, keeping Zuko anxious was one of her favorite games. But right now, she had something much more inspired in mind.

"You _are_ going to do it, Zuzu. And do you know why?"

"Why?"

_HA!_ Immediate response. She knew that would get him.

"Because if you don't, I'm going to cut off all my hair."

His brow furrowed in consternation. "So what?"

Big dummy. He could never keep up with her at thinking. Or firebending. Or anything!

"I'll cut it off, and then I'll tell Mother and Father that YOU did it while I was taking a nap."

He sprang up, whirling about to face her. "NO YOU WILL NOT!"

"Yes I will!" She danced a few paces away from him. Not that Zuko would hurt her, but it didn't matter, because he could never catch her. She was always too quick for him.

Apparently he knew better than to make the attempt, now. "They're never going to believe you! Everybody knows you lie all the time. They all laugh at you about it. AzuLiar! That's what they all call you! Even Mother and Father. AZULIAR!"

That hurt.

That made Azula angry.

He _should_ know _better_ than to make her angry. What came next wouldn't be her fault!

The red-draped arm rose, middle and index fingers pointing skyward. The air she drew into her lungs became a weapon, fired by rage, honed by her undeniable talent.

A blast of flame roared up from the earth, right in front of Zuko. He cried out and fell back, flinging up his arms to shield his face. She called forth a second updraft. The royal prince scuttled back on all fours like an octopus-crab, and she followed him. Azula was focused, eyes wide, mouth set in a grim line. He shouldn't laugh at her! NOBODY got to laugh at her! HE was the joke, not her, a stupid little failure, Mother's favorite just because he was born first! Father knew! He would understand, he would forgive her. She was BETTER than Zuko!

Her only brother punched out his fist in his own attempt at Firebending. The result was driven mainly by fear; it was a candle's flame compared to her swarming abundance of rage and recrimination. A sweep of her leg dispelled his meager defense, scattering burning fragments of the siblings' quarrel about the garden. She didn't know fear! Azula was hate without fear! The purity, the clarity, the _self!_

Zuko had been driven back against the small pond at the end of the enclosed arboretum. His hands splashed down in the rim, and he jerked to a halt. Like a little kitten, afraid of getting wet. Azula stared into his eyes. There were tears in them. He was looking at her like she was a stranger. They had the same eye color. Just like Father. That made her pause. She wouldn't be at fault. No, it was all up to Zuko now. If he jumped back in the water, he would be spared. Drenched and humiliated, but alive. If he didn't, if her brother couldn't even be depended on to figure out something so simple, then…

No more thinking! It was time to see!

Zuko gazed at his sister in horror. There was no expression in her face. She looked like a sleepwalker. Her pupils were unnaturally wide, and they seemed to glow, the whites visible around them. He wanted to cry out, tell her to stop, or call for their Mother. But nothing came. His breath was gone. Not even enough for Firebending.

Azula drew her arm back, orange flames licking at her fingers. The sight filled his vision. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the dancing sparks.

_I'm going to die_, he thought.

"_FIRE!!"_

A hand grabbed Azula's arm, spinning her about with a gasp. She registered the sensation of being lifted off her feet then, and before she knew it, the princess found herself flung over the shoulder of a man in a Fire Nation military uniform.

"FIRE!" the voice repeated. "THE PRINCESS IS ON FIRE! HELP!"

Azula realized who it was then, but before she could catch her breath…

"I WILL SAVE YOU, PRINCESS!"

He bent forward and chucked her into the pool.

The sodden adolescent burst to the surface with a great intake of air, floundering and spitting out water. Now in the same position as Zuko, she stared agape at the unexpected intruder grinning down on them both.

Her brother spoke first.

"Cousin Lu Ten!"

The tall colonel gave them a crisp salute, beaming from ear to ear. His lion-gold eyes were perpetually half-lidded, giving their uncle's heir an expression made up of equal parts serenity and amusement. A royal Fire crown kept gleaming black hair firmly anchored in a military topknot. The firm, aristocratic angles of his smooth face bespoke of the formidable effect those features had on the opposite sex.

Before their significantly older war-hero relative, both of his cousins found themselves feeling distinctly abashed; but at the same time, any thoughts of animosity were swiftly swept to the backs of their minds.

However, even in the face of familial affection, all children know their roles. So it was that Zuko jabbed a finger back towards his sister and quickly blurted out, "She started it!"

Azula hurriedly came to her feet, wringing the moisture out of her sodden sleeves.

"I was just playing," the girl muttered sulkily. She turned her head away to appear unrepentant, but found her eyes drifting unwillingly to her cousin's handsome face all the same, searching for any trace of disapproval.

"Ah, my dear little Azula," he clucked and waggled a finger remonstratively. "The problem with you is, you never let anyone else know the rules of your games! We're all left running in circles, trying to keep up! You're just too clever for us, little cousin. Isn't that right, Zuko?"

He held out a hand towards the elder sibling, who reached up to take it, allowing Lu Ten to lift him back on his feet. Azula could not disguise her disappointment at his receiving special attention.

"She's not clever!" Zuko insisted as he strove to right himself. "All she does is…"

A widening of the smirk was all the warning he got. Suddenly Lu Ten yanked his hand from Zuko's slippery grip. The startled young noble wind-milled his arms in an attempt to regain his balance.

The attempt ended in failure, as he fell backwards into the pond with a splash.

"AAAHH!" the princeling raged while his sister laughed, churning the water with his fists. "You did that on purpose!" Lu Ten only chuckled.

"Brother and sister should not squabble. It is a precious gift you both have been given, to be blessed with an ally you can depend on and a partner in crime you can always turn to. Being so close to one another in years, there is on one else in the world you can expect to help you in furthering your designs, be they noble or ignoble."

Facing their chastising first cousin, the pair of royals saw something behind him. They both exchanged glances. And then, in that unspoken connection some siblings share, they both agreed to say nothing of it. Lu Ten continued in his pedantic and facetious instruction.

"Were I to have been given a sibling, you can rest assured that I would treat them with the courtesy and esteem due the child of my noble parents."

"I am most pleased to hear that, my son."

Lu Ten blinked, but before he could make a move, two hands gave a mighty push from behind, and the armor-clad dignitary flew forwards to land face-first in the water.

Slowly, with as much circumspection as he could muster, the future Firelord extricated himself from the shallow depths, to be greeted by two sets of giggling children's voices and one deep, hearty chortle.

Turning about, he found the man responsible for his predicament to be none other than his own father Iroh, accompanied by his paternal uncle Ozai.

Both sons of Firelord Azulon were attired in ceremonial raiment of imperial red and black. The younger brother stood a good head taller than his elder. They differed in temperament as well. However, in that instance, while Iroh's mirth was on prominent display, a small smirk also tugged at the corner of Ozai's mouth.

"Father. Uncle." Lu Ten inclined his head politely, shaking his hands free of any clinging droplets. "I trust that grandfather is finished with you for the day?"

"Indeed." Ozai gave a gracious nod in return.

"Actually," his brother stroked his graying beard meditatively, "We just came from his Majesty's audience. It being quite hot in there, we were only now discussing the cleansing benefits of a nice bath."

The stocky general then kicked off his slippers, and took a few steps back.

"And, with that in mind…"

His son's face blanched. He turned to regard both Zuko and Azula in turn.

"LOOK OUT!"

Too late. Iroh sped forward and leapt into the air, tucking his knees against his chest.

"FIREBALL!!"

The children scrambled to get out of the way, as the bulk of Fire Nation royalty hit the surface of the pond like Sozin's Comet, sending a wave and a swell of water gouting up and out. Everyone in the circle of the pool was now quite thoroughly drenched. Laughing ecstatically, the younger two then ganged up on their elders, Zuko tackling Iroh, and Azula hanging gleefully from the back of Lu Ten's shoulder-pads.

Observing this display, Ozai shook his head in bemusement, affecting an overly stern and authoritative air.

"If the other nations ever got wind of this fiasco," he declared evenly, "it could very well spell the end of our country's military ambitions. Apparently I alone am left to be the sole vanguard of reason in these trying times."

Azula spoke up. "We don't need a reason, Father. We're Firebenders! We do what we want!"

"She has a point, brother." Iroh nodded sagely from his position face-up in the water, Zuko seated proudly on his broad stomach. "I doubt anyone could muster the power to challenge our family, combined as we are in firepower and lack of anything resembling reason!"

"We're the greatest in the world!" Zuko declared proudly.

His father glanced between the smiling members of his immediate family, and gave a resigned shrug.

"I suppose I cannot argue with you there, my son."

So saying, the second-born then slipped off his own footwear, hoisted the hem of his expensive dragon-claw red robes around his ankles, and regally stepped into the pool.

Half an hour of aquatic blind-tag and pool-chicken later, Princess Ursa came to escort her dripping children and waterlogged husband back to their quarters for dinner. For their part, Iroh and Lu Ten opted to remain in the drink for a little longer, much to the dismay of the local turtle-ducks. All were in agreement that it had been a grand adventure.

* * *

"Whoa."

Toph leaned back reflectively against the soft support behind her. All consternation at their predicament had bled away without her noticing it.

"Surprised?" Iroh rumbled.

"Very." It came out as barely a whisper. "I always thought, you know, you guys just never got along. Like even once in your whole lives."

"That is a common misconception regarding our family." The retired commander's voice held an undercurrent of sorrow, and weariness. "While we were not as closely knit as other examples, we did retain a sense of duty and respect in regards to one another. And on more occasions than one, those unbroken ties served to allow us to enjoy each others' company. There were great times to be had in our household, years ago."

The question was on the tip of her tongue, though she hesitated to ask it. Instead Toph said, "I wouldn't know about that. My parents didn't even let me play with members of our own family. They thought I might get bullied by the other kids. I always resented that they didn't trust any of us. Especially me."

"As adults, we often find ourselves amazed or even horrified by some of the choices we made when we were young. Believe me, Toph. I was never more thoughtless and inhumane than when I was a child, even towards those I cared about. They might have sheltered you, but be assured that you were spared some truly inventive cruelty as a result of your family's over-protectiveness. Some people never grow past that behavior."

She turned her head back to make sure her next words wouldn't be lost in the gale howling past them.

"If you knew all this, why did you let things get so bad with your brother and Azula?"

There was a bite to her tone that left him feeling accountably ashamed of every failure he could ever attribute to himself. Iroh had to think before he could respond. She gave him that time, perhaps recognizing that this was a difficult question to tackle.

"Because I was caught up in my family's mania as well," Iroh spoke heavily. "Do not forget, I laid siege to Ba Sing Se. I led a brutal and bloody campaign that cost thousands of people their homes and lives. My behavior now in no way excuses those past misdeeds, especially if you consider that at the time, I believed myself to be completely in the right. I perpetuated my grandfather's war, using excuses like it being necessary and humane to bring the long-running conflict to some type of close, and especially one in our favor, to prevent any of the other nations from attempting to exert retribution upon us for initiating this conflict in the first place. I told myself that it was my sacred duty to the world, to be the first Firelord to reign in peace for three generations. I knew Ozai was ambitious, and his daughter was a potential sociopath. But that could all be resolved, just as soon as I took my place on the throne. Back then, I truly wanted to finish the war, because it was the only way I could proceed to save my family. I had it all planned."

The way he spoke left his audience feeling very curious. Well, Toph thought, I want to know. And if he wants to tell me, that's good. If not, I won't ask again.

"So what exactly happened, then?"

Iroh did not respond right away. She could hear him shifting slightly on his perch, perhaps seeking to alleviate an uncomfortable spot. Or maybe he was preparing to go to sleep to evade the query.

"I asked myself that same question, over eight years ago."

He sounded tired also. Perhaps, if he really was so inclined, he should try and rest instead of talking. According to Iroh, there were still several hours of travel left ahead of them. Whatever they were setting out for, it wouldn't do to get there deprived of sleep. She knew first-hand how that could affect a person's mood and combat effectiveness.

Before Toph could voice these concerns, however, the old dragon was off again.

"My son died."

* * *

He could hear hushed voices coming from the tent at his approach. Iroh was surprised to find his senses so sharp, considering how heavy and awkward his body felt. Every footstep was ungainly, thudding against the earth like a komodo-rhino's. The general wondered vaguely why no one was pointing and laughing at his clumsy gait. Surely they could all see that there was something wrong with him? The heir-apparent to Firelord Azulon, the Dragon of the West, was just a tottering, graceless wreck now. Couldn't they all see that? Why was no one speaking around him? His royal guard at the least must be embarrassed to be following in the footsteps of this lumbering body he found himself unaccountably saddled with. He would have to remember to apologize to them later for this disgraceful duty they were forced to perform.

Iroh tried to affect a more dignified pace, but he found he could not shake the feeling that he was a source of ridicule for all present.

Two sentries moved hastily to draw the curtain for him. Such a show they put on, acting frightened of him, reacting so fast, as if his bloated form wasn't moving like a shambling corpse, as though his face was that of a lightning-eyed madman and not puffy and red like a mewling infant's.

Upon entering the dimly lit confines, the humbled Dragon of the West was met with the smell of sweet incense, unbearably cloying to his nostrils. Did they want to suffocate him? Go on then, do it! He wouldn't resist. There was no more point. The remaining members of his son's military staff were huddled together at the center of this hastily-constructed palisade. Iroh recognized a few of them by name, and the rest by sight. Several were missing. Apparently he would not be the only parent to receive a notice of their child's loss this day.

"Where is my son?"

He knew his voice was soft as a dying man's rasp, yet they behaved as though Iroh were bellowing at the top of his lungs, flinching and cringing back from him. The braziers smoldering on iron hooks began to give off much more heat and light for some reason. It offered him a better view of these men he now faced so ashamedly. They gazed at their general like he was Death itself entered into their midst. From the looks of terror on their sweating faces, one might actually believe that he was an imposing, menacing figure. Not a broken-hearted old fool who had found his vaunted abilities reduced to nothing. The officers fell to their knees en masse and abased themselves before him. All the better to hide the contemptuous smirks he knew must be decorating their features.

In doing so, they gave him an unobstructed view of the area.

On a table decorated with bowls of sand and incense sticks, the body of his son was laid out.

Iroh stumbled forward in piteous torpidity. How those young men scrambled unnecessarily to make way for him, one even going so far as to allow the general to trod on his hand and screaming that it had burned him. Enough. Do not demean yourselves with these pretences anymore. They gave him no pleasure.

"Go."

As he came to a halt by the bier, he could hear the sounds of their hasty departure dwindling away. None of that mattered now.

The unhappy parent gazed down at the lifeless shell before him.

He knew tears must be coursing down his face, but he could not feel them. The incense sticks flared brightly and burnt all the way down to their nubs in an instant. Iroh paid this occurrence no mind. He was busy studying the remains encased in armor and draped with a red silk shroud.

"Lu Ten."

He categorically refused to look at the face.

Maybe it isn't him.

That sentence had persisted in his head for the last two hours, bouncing around his brain as he rode the eel-greyhound from his encampment at the front lines over to his son's detachment. What if there had been a mistake, and his boy was still alive? Missing, somewhere out on the battlefield. That would explain why no one had spoken to him since his departure, and why the officers had all fled so readily from his presence. They were all embarrassed! Yes, embarrassed at having jumped to the conclusion that their commanding officer had been killed. But that was childish of them, and even a bit foolish. Once the mistake had been confirmed, they should have immediately begun the search for the young colonel, instead of wasting time withdrawing to this staging point. For all they knew, his dear Lu Ten was somewhere in their forward position, abandoned and possibly even wounded!

Reassured, the aging warlord felt ready to learn the truth for himself. Still without looking, he reached out and drew the wispy cover away from the dead man's head.

Oh my son, my son, do not fear! It was another member of our nation's valiant army that laid down his life today! Once I have found you and brought you home, you will tell me this man's identity, I am confident that you know every officer under your command. Then we will together send the appropriate commiserations to his family, letting them know that their flesh and blood had not died in vain nor would he be unremembered. How you will laugh, Lu Ten, to hear of your subordinates' foolishness.

Iroh took a deep, calming breath of the scent-laden air.

Laugh, my dearest one, wherever you are. Laugh at the foolishness of your father, who thought you dead.

When he was finally ready, he turned his head and looked.

Laugh, my Lu T…

Iroh howled.

His son's face was gone.

The bereft father fell to his knees, screaming and breathing flame. His breath of fire set the solid cloth high above their heads ablaze. They had told him what had happened, and he thought himself prepared for it. He had seen the worst that war had to offer, hadn't he? He knew the grisly carnage wrought on the battlefield, young men formerly filled with bright promise and hopes ripped to charred bleeding lumps. The messenger had explained it to him. How an errant rock from a burning Earthbender had caromed off a soldier's helmet, breaking apart into speeding pellets of limestone that ricocheted and tore into Lu Ten's unguarded features. His own priceless red and gold helm had been knocked off at some point during the fighting. Still, even that could not have saved him.

There was hardly anything left. It almost made the wailing general's delusions worth considering. How could one find anything recognizable in that smashed, bloodied wreckage? If you did not know who you were looking at for sure, it could have been anyone lying there.

But this was Lu Ten's father. And so he knew.

Nose, forehead and even lips might be missing, but that was his child's chin. And his self-same golden eye stared unblinking up at the ceiling from the left side of the face.

Iroh now clutched at his dead offspring's body, begging him to forgive his father. His guards had entered the tent at some point and proceeded to snuff the flames, preventing the temporary dwelling from burning down around their ears. Afterwards they stayed by him. It was not their place to touch the royal person, but these men and women were not mindless automatons. They remained in order to prevent their leader and future ruler from causing himself any harm. Without the noble's specific order to withdraw, these steadfast guardians could not be dissuaded. And their commander proved to be in no condition to issue orders of any kind at this time.

Instead Iroh wept, cradling Lu Ten's corpse, telling it all the plans he had conceived for his future, the dreams he had nurtured to see this world brought out right.

All gone now. All dead.

* * *

The evidence of the dragon's flight had long since passed beyond its riders' perception, lapsing into a soothing rhythm as quiet and peaceful as the dawn.

A fitting correlation, since that was precisely the time of day they found themselves at.

Iroh shielded his eyes against the first rays of the sun. Its red-gold mass was a torch lighting more than just the landscape. Where only a few seconds ago his heart had felt heavy enough to make him regret living, now it beat strong and fierce within his chest. Dragged from the depths of despair, the rejuvenated Firebender parted his lips and breathed a long streamer of flame towards the fading stars. Shao too greeted morning's first light in this fashion, her body growing almost unbearably hot beneath them.

Ahead of him, the purposeful warrior saw Toph flinch from the sudden increase in the beast's body heat. Coming to a decision, he reached forward and placed his hands beneath her armpits, lifting her up. The child tensed for a moment, but when his hold remained gentle, her small frame consented to be drawn away from her perch. Iroh settled her on his lap, away from the scorching furnace that had become the dragon's scales. She took hold of the front of his robes for support. The awkwardness they had both been so anxious to avoid was not in evidence here. When two people trusted one another, any misgivings were quickly excused in favor of appreciation.

And besides, Iroh thought, their flight was coming to an end.

After another half hour of travel, the elite historian judged that they were close enough to avail themselves of different transportation. Below them now were the rugged mountains and valleys that made up the north-eastern range of the Earth Kingdom. They had passed the Northern Air Temple several miles back. Its graceful spires, abandoned by its inhabitants for the second time in a hundred years, had long receded into the distance. There had been no point in informing Toph of this impressive vista. He was learning, after all. Still, if by some miracle he did manage to come out of this affair alive, Iroh hoped to one day accompany Zuko on such a trip. Perhaps by now, the hot-blooded prince had grown accustomed to air travel, having access to both Fire Nation technology and an Avatar's sky bison. But for his money, neither of those experiences could truly compare to dragon-flight. It was something that spoke very personally to his people, and he felt certain that Zuko would appreciate the honor as much as he had.

There. His time schedule was spot-on. Thanks must go to his more geographically and mathematically attenuated colleagues for their calculations regarding this matter. It was precisely the hour of the day they had formulated for his arrival. Being so relieved, Iroh shifted on his perch, moving slowly so as not to unnecessarily alarm his fellow traveler, and retrieved an object from his satchel. A small black pipe, carved in the shape of a dragon's head. This particular memento had come back with him from his trip to the Sun Warrior's domain. They had gifted him with it, along with instructions on its use, at the tacit behest of the Firebending Masters. The level of communication those secluded people had evinced towards Ran and Shao had always left the Prince of Fire somewhat envious. For years he had cherished a dream of returning there in the days of his twilight, to study and partake of their cherished wisdom in the aspiration of one day acquiring that selfsame ease of spiritual awareness with the two masters.

But until then, he would have to rely on less esoteric methods.

As he placed the pipe to his lips and blew, fingers covering the hidden holes on its sides, Shao's ears flickered. The blue dragon recognized the plea to descend, and began to turn in a circle, banking back along their course. Her unmatched eyesight scouted the terrain, searching for a suitable spot on which to land. After just a minute, her perusal was complete, and she angled her neck in descent, wings coming in close to her body.

Iroh kept a tight hold on Toph, partly to reassure her, and mainly to reassure himself that she did not go flying off into the air. With the increase in vision provided by the break of day, he thought he could see where their mount was taking them. The general approved. Since he could not specify a location, this was the best he could have hoped for. The rest of their journey would have to be made on foot.

As they continued to circle the landing point, something else caught his eye. Off to the west, a line of clouds was visible. The master pyromancer cursed to himself. Judging by the strength and direction of the wind, there was little doubt that they would arrive at their final destination under overcast skies instead of the clear sunshiny day he had been praying for. That meant his elemental powers would be diminished just when he needed them at their greatest peak. Still, Iroh was a more than capable tactician. He had never assumed that everything would turn out perfectly in this affair. And, he realized as Toph fidgeted nervously against him, often the unexpected could be turned to one's own advantage.

A secluded ridge on the side of a mountain. That was where Shao had chosen to drop them off. Under the initial version of his plan, their landing area would have had to have been significantly further away from ground zero. Not to accommodate the dragon, who clearly could alight on a much narrower surface, but for the sake of Iroh. Had she settled him in this spot alone and left, it would have been simply impossible for the sixty-year old to navigate off this wind-swept protuberance of granite. He would have been completely stranded.

Fortunately, he had a newer version of the plan. One that involved Earthbending.

Shao settled her deceptively large bulk on the pocked outcropping, folding up her wingspan to keep from brushing the sides of the mountain. As soon as her clawed feet touched the ground, Iroh felt Toph relax somewhat. For her, the worst was over. At least, so she thought. It was up to him to inform her that something far more perilous lay in store for them.

Being at opposite ends of the age spectrum did not prevent both of them from having a somewhat awkward time dismounting from their perch. Clambering down the dragon's hind leg, the elder then helped his compatriot find her feet at last.

With a high-pitched squeal of joy, Toph released his hand and dropped to the stone, flattening herself against it like a child to its mother's breast.

"LAND!" she exclaimed. "Sweet stable land, I missed you so much, I just want to hug you!"

While she was absorbed in this intimate reunion, Iroh blew a note of farewell on his pipe. Glancing back at him, Shao snorted a multi-hued burst of fire above their heads, lighting the shadowy mountainside briefly. She then turned and scrabbled a ways down the face of their holdings, before launching herself off the precipice out into emptiness. The wings unfurled, beating like a tempest, and with a final fiery blast, the blue dragon ascended into the heavens, heading eastward to the ocean and home.

Toph sprang up suddenly. "HEY!" she sputtered. "Where's the big salamander going?!"

"Home," Iroh supplied. "Her part in this affair is over."

"Uh, correct me if I'm wrong," Toph stated sarcastically, "but I seem to recall you mentioning something about terrible danger. Wouldn't it be a lot _less_ dangerous for us if we had a razor-toothed fire-breathing sky lizard on our side?"

"Perhaps for us," the stocky old-timer shifted his accoutrements and made his way back to her side, "but not for her. Shao is one of only two dragons left alive in this world. I will not put her life at risk for my own sake. Safeguarding their secret is the only trust I have yet to besmirch with my incompetence, and I intend to keep it that way."

The petite boulder-buster cocked her head to one side. She then gave a short nod, and turning in the approximate direction of their departing ally, Toph drew a deep breath, cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted, "THANK YOU, SHAO!!"

Iroh thought he saw another plume of dragon breath in the distance, but he could not say for certain. Instead he inspected their perch critically. "Well, Toph, seeing as you and I are in this together now, do you suppose you could find us some suitable shelter?"

"Why?" She was pacing about their environs, getting a feel for the lay of the land. "Shouldn't we get going? I thought we were on a schedule here."

"We were," he admitted. "But thanks to you coming along, we are somewhat ahead of that schedule. I thought perhaps we could put the time to good use by having a bite to eat, and some tea."

The blind bender gave a disinterested snort, flexing her stiff shoulders. "Well, _seeing_ as how we're in this together, _partner_, I guess I could scare us up some shelter from this wind."

A minute later there was a neat peak-roofed stone shack clinging to the bluff, complete with a sliding door and even a chimney. Inside, the two adventurers were making quick work of the provisions Iroh had packed. Fortunately, being a man of large appetite, his meal preparations would have been suitable for feeding twice as many people on a three-day trek. Having Toph along just meant he would have to practice some restraint.

When their meal of spiced meat, dried fruit and nuts was finished, the tea enthusiast set about preparing one of his favorite brews. While she waited for him to finish, Toph settled back into a stone cradle, one hand sliding idly over the floor to sense for any possible terrestrial warnings that might signal the need to evacuate this place.

After a few minutes, the girl rolled over on her stomach and faced in Iroh's direction, kicking her heels back and forth.

"Iroh…?"

"Yes?" he glanced away from his work for a moment, taking in the dreamy, contemplative look on her face.

"Are you ever going to tell me why we've come out here?"

She could feel his muscles tighten slightly, in what could be antipathy or dread.

"You promised to tell me, and I promised to help you. After I stopped screaming, I mean. So now that we're taking a break, do you want to let me in on who we're going to fight?"

The scented steam of boiling leaves added a subtle aroma to the air that Iroh usually loved. However, at this moment, he could take no comfort in it.

"I know you promised to aid me. And I accepted your offer, partly because I knew it wasn't really an offer." The Lord of Dragons added some sour rind to the tea, and allowed the fire to tamp down. "When the time comes, you and I might very well be forced to confront something that cannot be defeated. Something far older than the Four Tribes, and even the Avatar cycle. I have only scraps of information to go on here, Toph. Please do not think I am trying to hide something important from you. It is simply that I am afraid for your safety. Even if my plan works, there is no guarantee that either of us will come out of this whole."

His attentive host blew out her breath in aggravation, turning over on her back to face the ceiling. "There you go again, acting all grave and mysterious. Are you just practicing your vocabulary, or is there something you can actually tell me about all this?"

He found himself staring into the swirling, shifting fog of water vapor, and had to force himself to look away. Iroh chanced a peek over at Toph. She seemed completely relaxed, but her face was set in a composition of irritation and aggravation.

"What I know for certain comes from my own life experiences. If you will bear with me, I will tell you another story, one that will more clearly illustrate the danger we are about to face."

She waved a hand vaguely in acquiescence. With that permission, Iroh began his tale.

"The danger is from within our own souls."

* * *

After the funeral, General Iroh was a man without purpose.

His son was cremated, as befit the royalty of the Fire Nation. By that time, some strength had returned to the grieving father's mind and spirit. However, in the span of less than 24 hours, the Earth Kingdom generals had taken full advantage of their enemy's lack of concentrated leadership. The military strength of the Fire Nation had been blunted, its steady push into the lands beyond the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se repulsed. Within two days time, what had taken Iroh six hundred days to accomplish was completely swept away. At the third dawn following Lu Ten's death, he gathered his remaining counsel in his tent. Then, after listening to their assessment of the battle and the current state of the supply lines, Iroh made his decision, and ordered a full-scale retreat. His army crept dejectedly away from sight of the great barrier, while the cheering soldiers of the Earth Kingdom flung boulders and curses at their departing backs.

The defeated national hero sent word back to his family regarding the loss of his son, and a separate missive to his father informing Firelord Azulon of the siege's failure. Iroh did not try to explain his defeat. While in public he did not permit his grief to surface lest the army's morale suffer even more than it already had, in private he allowed himself to despair.

Three weeks later saw Iroh on a ship headed back to the capitol of his homeland. During this voyage, he received word by messenger hawk of the sudden death of his father, and the revelation that Ozai had been chosen to succeed him as the next Firelord. Upon reading this unexpected reversal of fortune, the elder sibling found he could not fault his parent. There was truly no point in his becoming Firelord now. His useful life had come to an end. Azulon had been kind in a way, not forcing a clearly unsuitable burden down his son's throat. Let the one who had something left to prove do so now. All else was irrelevant.

As he stood on the prow of his vessel, gazing out over the ocean, Iroh considered ending his own life.

He could step over the rail right now, and drown himself.

There was nothing stopping him. He was useless, an extra tile on the Pai Sho board, of no further help to anyone.

He had no point in living anymore.

It was while considering the truth of this statement that something caught his eye.

On the starboard side of the ship, far to the south, a light was visible.

Like a single candle burning on the ocean, it drew his weary eye.

For some reason, that ember spoke to Iroh. There was no great rush, after all. Nowhere pressing he had to be. Upon arriving at this conclusion, he made his way back to the bridge and informed the captain to plot a new course towards the light.

By the fall of evening that day, they had arrived at the crescent island housing the Temple of the Fire Sages.

Situated on the side of an active volcano, the ancient monastery was bathed in the glow of the caldera. When his flag was first spotted, the guardians of the Avatar Spirit's lore made their way to the ancient stone jetty to greet their royal patron.

"Welcome, Dragon of the West," the most ancient of their order greeted him. "It is our privilege to serve. We assume you are here for the Conqueror's Soul?"

At first no answer came to him. But as soon as he gave it some thought, the truth dawned on Iroh, and he wasted no time in expressing it.

"Yes. Please lead me to it."

They bowed to his will without question, and led him into the depths of the temple.

In essence, there was no reason for any of them to doubt his veracity. After all, word had reached them of Azulon's passing, as well as Ozai's instatement as Firelord. To their minds, it would not be uncommon for the younger brother to send his elder on this auspicious task, to retrieve the final ceremonial artifact required to invest a newly crowned leader of the Fire Nation with full divine authority. The sages were most accommodating in this regard, almost unctuous really, having been awaiting the transport ever since word had come from the Firelord's court that it was needed. Iroh would later discover that the ship his brother had dispatched to actually perform this duty had been destroyed at sea by a flotilla of Southern Water Tribe vessels. Ozai's first official act as Firelord two days later was to order a renewed assault on those isolated hamlets of snow and ice. Their naval victories there served for a marked improvement in military morale, which in turn allowed Ozai to build a reputation as an inspiring and heavenly-favored commander, a far cry from the disaster that his brother's line had proven to be.

By the time he learned of this, Iroh had more pressing concerns than his reputation.

In a chamber redolent with unfamiliar odors and filled to the brim with rare leaves and roots of all kind, the venerable Sages pressed a secret mixture of plant resins and fossil elements shaped like a ball into their warlord's hands.

As he thanked them and was about to turn away, one priest in particular approached him and spoke with a disconsolate air.

"We had hoped the Soul we provided for your son would go towards blessing your rule, my lord. I regret that it must have been lost during the long siege."

Iroh stared at him for a moment. Noticing the man's growing unease, he then spoke quickly.

"Yes, it was a great pity. Thank you for your concern."

He left them there, and departed on his voyage back home with the Sages' best wishes.

He had not let them know that he did not have a clue what they were talking about.

His son had received a Conqueror's Soul? But why? The ceremonial orbs of incense were crafted only at the behest of the Firelord. It was a tradition dating to the rule of Sozin himself, marking each new generation of leader's spiritual ascendance to the throne. The creation of these otherworldly implements was a sacred trust for the Fire Sages, involving a process of meditation and careful herbcraft that lasted over two weeks. Their purpose was highly symbolic, actually. Supposedly when the incense was burned, it gave the one who breathed its vapors visions and insight into their world. There were some who said that its use allowed those under its spell to enter into the Spirit Realm, a feat capable only for the most ascetically and spiritually gifted. Or for the Avatar.

Upon returning to his transport, Iroh set about investigating this unusual revelation. He went through Lu Ten's remaining affects.

And in a box emblazoned with the symbol of Fire Nation royalty and sealed with his son's personal sigil, the mystified parent found what he had sought.

There were three items in that chest. One was a Conqueror's Soul, identical to the one now safely secured in his cabin. The next was a scroll, written in his father's hand and charging the bearer with the need and authority to perform the duty of retrieving that precious object.

The final item was a letter to Iroh.

_Honored father,_

_The contents of this box will be sent to you only upon my death. If you are reading this, then that has already come about. I must ask for your forgiveness, in that I have inflicted on you the most grievous pain of all: being forced to outlive your own child. At this time, you are probably feeling bereft and without hope. But if my instincts are correct, then there is even worse ahead of you._

_I do not wish to alarm you, Father. But after my last visit back home, Grandfather Azulon called me to his chambers. He informed me that he had received a presentiment not only in regards to his own passing, but for yours as well. He then charged me to obtain a Conqueror's Soul, stating that it was my right and duty as the next Firelord. In truth, I put no real stock in superstitions and the warnings of dreams. But last night, I found my sleep troubled by disturbing images. I saw you in tears, and a lonely spire that beckoned to me with a voice that held no face. This frightened me more than anything I could ever remember. I pray that the dreams regarding your parent's fate and mine prove to be unfounded night terrors. But the chill of that fear has settled deep within me. I honestly do not believe at this time that we will ever meet on the soil of our homeland again._

_Since I am unable to speak to you now, I will try to assuage both our souls by writing this testament: I love you, my father Iroh. You have given me a home and boundless affection throughout all my years. We may have had our disagreements over certain points, but there was never a time in my life that I resented your being in it. Should I truly have to spend the rest of my days without ever hearing your laughter, then I will do my best to find the joy in life for both of us. I will seek to provide for our family, and strive for a world that discards past mistakes in favor of gentleness and compassion. You will always be in my heart as a devoted parent and true friend. My warmest affection goes out to you._

_Your loving son,_

_Lu Ten_

Before he finished the first paragraph, Iroh was crying. He read and reread the narrative time and time again. And while it was definitely imbued with his son's love, reaching out through time and the boundaries of death itself to touch his heart, at that moment, Iroh found these words insufficient. What good were printed symbols in place of a son's embrace, or the sight of his smiling face, the sound of his voice? What sort of world was this they lived in that forced a parent to part with his own body and blood, to live out his declining years in wretchedness and misery alone?

Why did his son have to die? Why did his wife perish untimely, and even his father now, who had been with him his entire life?! Why did this war take so much from him?! _WHY WERE THERE NO ANSWERS TO BE FOUND IN THIS LIFE?!!!_

The fallen warrior slumped on the floor of his study, weeping inconsolably like a lost child. He hugged the paper to his chest and cried into the carpet.

Ten minutes later, he had regained some of his composure.

Iroh got to his knees and crawled over to the box, where he replaced the last will of his only son.

As he did, his eye alighted on the orange amber ball on the bottom of the crate.

And something occurred to him.

No. It wasn't right. It was no longer his place. He was not the Firelord, and he never would be. That charge fell to Ozai's side of the family now. It was their father's wish.

But what was the harm, really? It was not as though he sought the crown for himself anymore. And they had two now. Why not try, and see for himself?

With that, the bereft yet hopeful soul picked up the unremarkable-seeming orb.

He breathed a gentle flame over it. In what seemed no time at all, the fragrant lump was smoldering in his hands.

Iroh inhaled the fumes deeply.

And gradually, the rocking of the cabin that he had not even noticed receded completely out of mind. The room itself was vague and hazy before his eyes. Was it just due to the redolent mist swirling all around him now, or was he truly experiencing something otherworldly at this moment? The weight of his own body was no longer evident, he could not even smell the smoke. Or for that matter, breathe it.

The old man stood up then, and began to move through the mists.

He heard voices after a time, and Iroh almost believed he could recognize some of them. Like a memorable performer's tones that altered for every role but remained recognizable to those who had long attended to his craft. Lights of many colors glowed far off within the mists. He sought to follow them, but their wavering hues never became any more distinct. After some searching, the wanderer was forced to abandon these attempts, and stood puzzled and uncertain within the clouded terrain.

Of a sudden he detected something beside him. Looking down, Iroh spied a tiny white elephant-mouse at his feet.

It peered upwards, regarding him with great black eyes framed by long lashes.

"Are you looking for someone?"

The creature spoke to him.

What surprised Iroh most was that he was not surprised.

"My father is dead," he informed the small mammal. "And so is my son."

It stood on its hind legs, snuffling its long snout in a musing manner.

"I can lead you to both. Which do you want to speak with most?"

He hesitated, considering.

"Lu Ten, I believe."

The elephant-mouse nodded. "If you believe it here, then it must be true."

Iroh blinked. "You are wise."

It scampered a few steps forward, and then turned its head to look at him.

"No, traveler. You are. Had you asked to speak with Azulon, I would have had to refuse."

It moved off again, and he followed curiously. "Why?"

The composite beast skittered around his ankles, and gave a shiver.

"Because he is not alone here."

Iroh did not understand. "Why are you helping me?"

His guide was some way ahead of him now, and he had to hurry to keep up. But its voice reached him clearly. "It is my calling. I set people on their way, and lead them to good fortune; if they are willing to make the journey, that is. It is my purpose no matter what form I take, or on what plane."

The rest of their trip was made in silence.

Finally the little curiosity drew to a halt by a small pool of clear water. There were rocks around them now. It indicated with its trunk that Iroh should be seated, and so he did.

"Please be patient, and wait here. You do not want to go wandering off."

He obeyed the creature's instructions, and watched it scuttle away.

Iroh glanced around. Without his realizing it, the smoke had cleared. He was now seated on a pillar of sandstone rising just beyond the edge of a cliff. On the mainland was a verdant field of blazing flowers spreading off to the horizon. Snapdragons the size of elms bent and drifted silently amongst the lesser petals, sending out small shots of bright green flame that caused more flowers to bloom wherever they touched. Looking down off his perch, he could see only smoke and fog drifting below this rest. He could not say for sure whether he had walked across the field to get here or up the pillar itself. Either way seemed plausible to him right now. Intrigued, the intellectual then cast his eyes skyward, where he was greeted by a motionless brown cloud cover. There was no sun that he could see.

Far overhead, he thought he saw a burning bird flying.

"Father."

Iroh's gaze came back down. In the reflection of the pool's surface, he could see Lu Ten sitting behind him, their backs touching. He could feel the young man's burning hot armor in a way that nothing else here registered to his senses.

Though he knew it was his son, the face reflected in the pool was turned away, allowing him to see only the back of his head.

"My boy." The words came out softly. He felt very happy now.

"Father," Lu Ten spoke again, "You must leave. You are in danger."

"I cannot," Iroh sighed. "I do not know how I even came to be here. Where are we?"

"The Spirit Realm. Where all go who are seeking true knowledge."

"Then here is where I will stay. With you, my dearest Lu Ten."

Neither of them moved now. They might have been statues, or actors trapped onstage.

"Can you forgive me?"

It was Iroh who said it, and he thought he saw his son's shoulders shake in the reflection.

"No."

He could have cried then.

"I cannot, father. Because there is nothing for which you need to be forgiven."

"I let you die," the father spoke mournfully, but the son's tone was more than a little rebuking.

"You protected me all my life. How could you have saved me from something that happened miles away which you were not even aware of until it was over? I was a soldier and a war leader. I knew the dangers that involved. It was poor luck, not malice or oversight on your part."

Iroh saw one of his son's hands reach up over the armored shoulder, and he extended his own. They clasped, and he experienced a slight shock to his system then. Like lightning travelling to his heart, where it stayed crackling and spitting. The world seemed so much clearer than it had a moment before.

"You couldn't have known, father."

"I know," Iroh wept then, not feeling the tears but still registering them. "I know now."

Lu Ten's hand withdrew.

"No. You don't."

Then there was a reordering in the world around them. Looking over the small spring, the wise old statesman perceived a dark mountain off in the distance. The path to it was jagged and treacherous, requiring anyone approaching to exert themselves. Something like the sun, only far fainter, hung over that lone edifice. The clouds above it were unnaturally dark.

I know that place, he thought.

He watched it closely, and for just a moment, there was a noise like sharp claws skittering over stone, and he knew something was coming towards him out of dark caves beneath that nameless hill. Iroh's heart filled with fear.

Then Lu Ten's fingers found his once more.

"You must leave now. Your family is once again in terrible danger."

"No," the old man insisted stubbornly. "You are my family. I am staying here."

"Father. Am I the only one in the world of the living you cared about?"

He paused.

Then, "No."

"Who else?"

The traveler felt himself growing most weary, but he persevered for his son's sake. "My brother. Ozai."

"Is that all?" Lu Ten pressed him anxiously. Iroh considered.

"Your cousins. Azula and Zuko."

"Something evil lurks in our family, Iroh. It hunts us down, and feeds off of us. It did this to your father, your grandfather, and if I had not died, it would have done the same to me."

"NO!" Iroh bellowed, thinking to see flames come out with it. But no fire was evident here.

"It is not too late to save the children, father. Even Ozai is not so far gone that he is beyond any help. But Zuko and Azula especially are still in horrible danger. They are the next in line. It will be coming for them. To complete its work."

"What work?!" his father spoke desperately. "What is this danger you are speaking of? Please, son, tell me!"

"I can't," Lu Ten whispered in fearful tones. "I don't know its face, or its name. No one I speak to will tell me. They're too afraid. It's old, father. Old and cunning and angry."

The smoke was rising around them now, obscuring the menacing peak and the field of flowers. In desperation Iroh knew that his time here was growing short.

"What must I do?!" he shouted in near panic.

"Protect the children," his son's voice insisted. "The children of the Four Tribes. They are the ones who can save our family. Give them your knowledge, father. Learn for them, and then teach them. Listen for the story of our enemy, and tell it to the children. Don't let the lost memories stay dead. They can be resurrected."

"Lu Ten!"

The smoke was all around them now. He could no longer even see the perch on which they sat.

"Live, father. There is still so much you can do."

"LU TEN!"

He whirled about, grabbing his son's shoulders and spinning them to face one another.

What he saw before him made Iroh scream.

He came back to himself in a room filled with the fading smell of incense, a blackened rock guttering out between his burning fingers. The sounds of people pounding on his door became clear, along with the worried shouts of his guards.

Iroh hid the smoldering ball, and then went to reassure them that he was all right.

* * *

When they had finished their tea, Iroh suggested they collapse the house and begin the final leg of their journey.

"I kinda like this place," Toph replied. "Let's take it with us!"

She gave the floor a few well-placed kicks, and the shack suddenly lurched forward. When he managed to crawl to the window, Iroh was momentarily flabbergasted by the sight of two long ropes of interconnected boulders sprouting from the base of their residence. Resembling the legs of a spider-fly, these appendages were scaling the face of the mountain, heading in exactly the wrong direction.

After explaining the situation, and receiving a bonk on the head for his use of the phrase 'That way,' the duo proceeded to traverse the craters and canyons of those imposing peaks.

Both were world travelers, but only Iroh had specific experience with navigating this locale. So for another half hour, he divided his time between scanning the environment, giving instructions, and marveling at the sight of the Earthbending form that was unique to this twelve-year old girl. The retired general had much experience with the basic style that was common among virtually all Earthbenders. To his well-trained eye, Toph's seemed much more similar to Firebending, in that it resembled dancing. She treated the earth as a partner, hands upraised and moving as though she were feeling the ground's fingers and responding with her own. She stepped and moved, hardly seeming to stand still, face settled in easy concentration. It reminded him of the ballroom dancing that had been popular in his younger days, before Azulon's ailing physique caused him to abandon any such efforts, thus consigning the pastime to oblivion in the court. If the Firelord could not participate, no one could. Iroh considered. Perhaps when this was over, he could ask if Zuko would demonstrate to her some of the classic dance moves of their people. Ursa had been a great enthusiast of the art, and had not failed to pass on these teachings to her children. It showed in their Firebending, and their uncle felt somehow certain that Toph would prove to be a more than capable partner for his nephew.

Absorbed in this breathtaking display, Iroh almost missed their location.

"Wait! Toph, that cave to the left, that's where we want to go!"

"Hang on."

That was all the warning he received before the construct lurched off to one side, and it proved insufficient, as Iroh tumbled head over heels and wound up flat on his face.

A few minutes later they were settled once more onto the bedrock. The adventurers then approached the high and narrow mouth of a cave which led down into the depths of the earth.

"You know we could just take the house to wherever we're going, instead of traveling underground," Toph pointed out.

Iroh shook his head, once again realizing too late the ineffectiveness of this gesture. "We could, if I actually knew where our final destination was in relative position to this spot. I have only ever been there by travelling through the tunnels beneath our feet."

She blew her bangs up out of her face, and then proceeded to stalk forward, completely self-assured. "So what are we waiting for? Lead the way."

Iroh complied, and the disparate procession entered the bleak gap in the rock, passing out of the sun's warmth.

The ball of flame he produced in one hand served to illuminate their surroundings. It was a fairly straightforward system they had entered into. The path was remarkably direct and smooth beneath their feet, without any divergent trails. After a while, Toph felt the need to comment on this markedly useful quality.

"This isn't a natural tunnel system. It was forged by Earthbenders. I can feel how they worked their way through the mountain."

"Yes, that is correct," Iroh confirmed her deduction. "This path was crafted nearly one hundred years ago, by warriors of the Earth Kingdom attempting to provide shelter for their charges on the way to Ba Sing Se."

"Who were they protecting?" The blind savant sounded curious.

Iroh patted his satchel to ensure himself that he had not left anything back in their cabin. When he was sufficiently mollified that his memory had not failed him, he proceeded on their solitary route.

"Air Nomads."

Toph came to a halt, her mouth opening in surprise.

"Aang's people?"

Ahead of her Iroh had not stopped in his careful journeying. For a while Toph stayed where she was, absorbing everything her feet were telling her about this place. In a way, she could almost feel the mood of the men and women who had hollowed out this route. There was a sense of grim, stalwart purpose in how they shored up the ceiling, as well as the care taken in smoothing the floor, as though for people who were unaccustomed to walking on rough terrain as they were.

And then Toph had an unnerving impression of their no longer being alone down here. She could almost feel a large crowd of people passing by her in this place, their sore and aching feet riddled with cuts and blisters, the sound of their passing coming to her ears like a thousand small drums. Mixed in was the crying of children, anxious elders trying to console them, and the gruff, assured tones of Earthbenders who moved alongside the crowd, urging them to take their time and not rush themselves. They would be safe here until reinforcements could arrive, they were told. They just had to stay hidden until then.

"Toph?"

The feeling passed. She shook her head, trying to dispel the impression of bitter fear that worked its way up her legs and into her heart.

"I'm coming."

She kept up with him after that, but the subtle presentiment of danger did not leave her soul. Toph no longer questioned Iroh as to why they had come to this place. She was beginning to have some idea as to its significance.

"We're almost there," she spoke softly.

"Are we? Good." He did not doubt her perceptions.

Several minutes later, Toph proved as good as her word.

A different light than the one in his palm touched Iroh's face, and he quickened his pace to reach their exit. They soon both walked out onto a day not even halfway done yet. The adventurers found themselves facing a narrow path that snaked between two sheer walls that rose about twenty feet over their heads. Toph's senses confirmed that these barriers too were crafted by her people. Obviously the reassuring presence of walls was something long engendered into the Earth Kingdom mindset. For her money, walls didn't imply security. More like imprisonment. The imposing fortifications and district markers of Ba Sing Se were the most obvious example of this dichotomy, providing safety at the cost of freedom. Her opinions in that regard had been more than validated by recent events, but Toph was not the type to say 'I told you so.'

Why bother, when the word 'Idiots!' gave you the same satisfaction at a quarter of the breath?

She noticed then that Iroh was about to make the attempt of squeezing his bulk through the narrow maze. Finding little use for such a trek, the World's Greatest Earthbender made a sharp motion down with one palm, and the fortifications simply sank into the earth. Her guide jumped backwards, heart rate going a mile a minute. She then felt him turn about and assume a rather irate posture towards her.

"What? I'm being helpful." She gave him an unperturbed shrug.

He made a slight 'Hmm' of acknowledgment, and proceeded to enter the secluded valley.

Toph had been aware for some time what their ultimate destination 'looked' like. It was a fairly large plain of jagged rock, surrounded on all sides by sheer walls of granite. Unlike their passage here, this locale was completely natural in execution. It was an environment rendered virtually inaccessible to anyone outside of flying or burrowing. There were no paths over the surrounding mountains that could lead into the heart of this domain without posing fatal peril to those foolhardy enough to make the attempt. It was a fortress of nature's own devising, and must have seemed like a godsend to those men and women that had sought shelter here for a while.

Scanning the desolate space, she noticed Iroh had proceeded to reach down and pick something up.

Before he could do so, she had already ascertained its significance.

It was a helmet.

A Fire Nation army helmet.

The wind blew through that place then, and Toph shivered. Standing a few feet away from her, the guiding flame still resting in Iroh's hand was snuffed out savagely.

Her old companion tilted his face to the heavens, and breathed deeply.

There was a feeling that came with that wind. It was almost like…

Recrimination.

Accusation.

And it was not directed at her, Toph realized. She could sense its intent, and for her, there was almost something encouraging. But that sensation was not in the wind. No, in fact, it appeared to be emanating from the ground itself. Like someone was welcoming her. Reaching out, through the earth.

Without thinking, the blind geopath settled to one knee, and placed her hand against the surface of their world.

She let herself see what lay here.

_You came. At last!_

They reached out for her then, and Toph sprang upright with a shout.

Iroh turned about, concern in his voice. "Toph, what's wrong?"

She swallowed, her throat dry.

"They… they're here," she whispered, shaking with shock and horror. "The Earthbenders, the ones who made that tunnel, and the walls. I… I can feel them, still here!" Her blind eyes turned in Iroh's direction, and for the first time, she regretted having come with him on this trip.

"Iroh? What happened here?"

He walked over to her, and placed both hands on her shoulders. His warm golden eyes searched those enchanting jade orbs, finding fear in her features. But also, he detected resolve, and determination.

It was time she knew the truth.

"Over ninety years ago, in this spot, and on this day, the last members of the Air Nomad Nation were trapped here and slaughtered. By the Fire Nation."

She gaped for a moment, eyes centered somewhere on his chest.

Her tiny hands came up and gripped his wrists with a fierce, focused outrage. She screamed at him, and the wind picked up her cry so that it echoed endlessly throughout the cold, gusty peaks.

"WHY?!!"

And in response, he told her a story.

* * *

General Iroh passed between the long line of Fire Nation nobles and imperial guards. The masks of those sentries were just as expressionless as the faces of his people. Once before they had looked upon him with respect and offered praise for his genius. Now they kept their features carefully schooled masks of ambivalence. They would not know how to react, until this audience was concluded.

Iroh stepped forth to stand before the sea of orange flame separating their position and the throne of the Firelord. A seat he now knew he would never occupy. Instead he took up his place beside his young nephew and niece. Azula kept her eyes focused straight ahead, but Zuko alone of that congregation turned and favored his uncle with a sad smile. The yet-grieving parent was touched by this display, and allowed an answering grin to stretch his own lips momentarily.

Then the great gong sounded, and they all went to their knees to humble themselves facedown before their ruler.

In the deathly silence of that hall following the receding notes of the gong, the sound of slippered feet and shifting robes came clearly to Iroh's ears. The fiery river then blazed with greater intensity than ever before. And at last, he heard the voice of his anointed leader.

"General Iroh."

The man in question kept his face averted. It was not his place to speak yet.

Silence reigned. Behind the royal family, the crowd of dignitaries and high-ranking officers waited with baited breath. Soon they would see decided the final fate of a man who just a year ago they had all treated with the utmost deference and respect. Iroh's place at court, and their opinion of him, rested squarely in the hands of the individual who had once been his brother, and now was so much more to them.

Then the voice spoke again.

"Iroh."

Facedown on the floor, he felt no fear. Nothing could surprise or dismay him now. He was stone. He was ready. He was loyal.

"My brother."

The tension in the room eased somewhat. So the defeated general was still recognized by his sibling after all. Well, then, of course they would follow suit. The Firelord clearly valued his brother's experience and wisdom, even in the face of his colossal failures and shortcomings. They would do as their leader wished, and welcome the outcast back into the ranks of the nobility. He must surely be very grateful to his younger brother now.

In truth, Iroh felt nothing. Had Ozai ordered him burned alive on the spot, he would not have protested. There was really nothing left for him to fight for.

"Rise and face your Firelord, General Iroh."

He could do this. It was the easiest thing in the world. Nothing to be afraid of.

"I come before you to pledge my undying loyalty and unbreakable troth…"

Iroh then stood, and lifted his face to the figure sitting wreathed in flame before him.

"My life for you and our nation, Firelord…"

He opened his eyes.

"Oza…"

The breath caught in his throat.

Iroh's face froze.

Some people stirred behind him, perhaps noticing the slight halting of the final syllable. But if the Firelord took any offense from this, he gave no sign.

"I accept your pledge, brother, and give my own to always be worthy of your loyalty, and to continue to treat you with the honor and courtesies that are your due."

Finding themselves oddly touched by his generous and magnanimous gesture, the assembled throngs quickly forgot any slip of the tongue on the part of the old man, for the sake of his imperial savior. There was truly a regal soul, and a noble visage. The courtiers watched their liege smile graciously at his prodigal brother.

Iroh did not.

There was no smile to see.

His brother's face was gone.

_To be continued…_


	3. Know Thine Enemy

"It's Koh."

Rubbing her arms in an attempt to ward off the chill seeping into her, Toph turned about.

"What is?"

A few feet away, Iroh was sitting with his back to her, searching through the satchel he had hanging at his side.

"Our enemy's name. The spirit Koh."

He did not elaborate beyond this, only continued rummaging about in his knapsack, retrieving various odds and ends and placing them on the ground where she could feel them. Doing so did not provide Toph with the clarity as to their nature that she was accustomed to expect. The blind Earthbender had been leery about accepting anything this ground had to offer, seeing that it might come with more than she was comfortable knowing.

She had never been in a graveyard. Before today, that is. For although there were no markers or headstones to speak of, Toph knew that dead men rested beneath their feet.

As a sluggish response stirred below her, the girl shivered anew. Perhaps 'resting' was not the proper terminology. Unrest was a more adequate description of their current locale.

It wasn't just the ground where unsettled spirits dwelled. Since Iroh's first display of Firebending, the very air around them seemed charged with a viable and palpable quality of awareness. The feel of the wind was actually rough on their skins, like invisible bony fingers crawling about, raising the hairs on their heads and sending unpleasant shudders up their spines.

Ghosts of men, women and children long dead. The ones who had ventured to this vale for safety, and found themselves trapped by their determined pursuers. A whole people had met their end here, a way of life blown away in the firestorm of one man's ambition. That was the story told on both sides of the world, with markedly different feelings.

But according to Iroh, there was more to it than just that.

She came over to him then, placing one callused hand on his shoulder. She could feel him moving to peer up at her.

"Tell me more," Toph spoke quietly.

He stared at her.

"You do not want to rest? It will be another hour before I am ready to begin, and neither of us got any sleep last night. The herbs in our meal gave us a boost of energy, but that is no real substitute for sleep."

"I'm not tired," she replied, and it was a statement of fact, not a bold if untruthful pronouncement.

"I would wake you," he offered helpfully. "I'm not trying to keep you from participating, and it isn't as though your being asleep during the fight would keep you out of danger. I am not so unrealistic as to believe that."

The determined land-shifter then stalked forward and plopped down, planting herself firmly in the mystic's sightline.

"You need to tell me, if I'm going to help you. Just keep working at whatever you're doing, I'm sure you can manage to talk and mix ingredients at once. You did it while preparing the tea, right?"

Iroh watched his compatriot settle in, making herself comfortable. Then he gave a sigh, and returning his attention to the preparations, the old storyteller began to speak.

"At first, I thought for certain I must have gone mad. After all, it was not as though anyone else was seeing our Firelord without any face. But to my eyes, there was nothing. Just a blank plane of skin. He spoke, and he saw, but Ozai wasn't really there. It was horrifying. A nightmare come to life. Only this was real. Not a remnant of the fever, or even drawing from my experience in the Spirit Realm. At least not totally. No change in this condition ever came about. Believe me, Toph. I have not seen my brother's living face in over eight years."

Saddened at this statement, the burly potion-maker left off on his arrangements for a while. His audience did not interrupt, preferring to let him sort through the unburdening of secrets at his own pace.

"I knew that this bizarre affliction could not be dismissed as a fracturing of my own mental faculties. There was more to it than that. Ozai had changed. He kept me on as his counsel, owing to my experience and the esteem his remaining staff still held me in. It did not take long for me to discern marked disturbances in the new Firelord's character. He was more vicious. Bloodthirsty. Ozai had never been in the habit of applauding displays of violence. While not a coward, in truth, my younger brother had always been more of a statesman and social ingénue. He valued displays of etiquette, not martial prowess. Ozai kept the rank of Supreme Admiral in the navy, but it was more of an honorary role than one that implied true maritime war experience. In light of this, what came afterwards was incomprehensible."

"My brother instituted capital punishment for trivial offenses, like dereliction of duty, or failure to meet production quotas. He stated that since the war would end under his rule, then it would be necessary to 'clear out the unnecessary elements.' His exact words. Our forefathers had cultivated a nationwide contempt for the other tribes, but with Ozai, that disdain sometimes spilled over to his own people. He ordered the restructuring or complete dismantling of villages deemed unproductive throughout the Fire Nation, sometimes shipping all the people from one island to another in order to involve them in the war effort. Any attempts at protest were met with public executions. After this, everyone got the message. One hamlet saved itself from extinction only by crafting a one-hundred foot tall fire-breathing statue in Ozai's likeness in their town square. It was an audacious move, and it pleased him greatly. But he then insisted that they change their name, to reflect the importance of the grand colossus in their lives. Another settlement tried the same tack, and he had it burned to the ground. Just as there could only be one Firelord, there could be only one Fire Fountain City."

Toph made a sound that could have indicated disdain or consternation. When she did not provide further detail, he continued.

"Following his ascension to Firelord, my polished sibling enacted sweeping changes in our social customs. He established a virtual cult in his name, demanding changes in school curricula, whether military or domestic, that emphasized his role in their lives as an all-powerful presence. The purpose of the educational system in our nation was reordered to downplay history and creative expression in favor of Ozai's promised great future and physical development. Children coming through this process were best described as all obedient brawn and little brain. And not just in the academies! In simple villages and hamlets, all the adults would talk about to their charges was the blessed role their Firelord demanded of them, and how fortunate they were to live in a world where their destinies as standard-bearers of the superior nation were confirmed for them. Granted, under Azulon and even Sozin before him, there was a concerted effort to justify the war and keep people from noting the casualties it brought home. But for Ozai, a man who had once been bound and determined to create a state-funded institute for the arts that was free to the public, for him to behave in this culturally oppressive manner left me appalled!"

Toph shifted her place, trying to keep from getting too comfortable in any one position. In spite of Iroh's reassurances, she couldn't shake the feeling that given the opportunity, he would be relieved to have her sleep through whatever was about to happen here.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Iroh, but none of that sounds like the sort of thing I _wouldn't_ expect the Firelord to be involved in. Your family has a reputation."

"That wasn't my brother," Iroh insisted quietly. "He was proud, but not venal. Never susceptible to flattery, or given to disregarding other peoples' well-being. I knew him since birth. Ozai was an honorable man. He did not need fear to make people respect him. That he earned on his own."

The overlooked heir to nobility sat brooding, flexing his fingers to keep them from stiffening up. The lingering cold of the morning had yet to disperse. Elsewhere, the rays of the sun were already hastening the build-up of his peoples' natural life rhythm. But in this secluded canyon, there would be no answering surge in him. As Iroh had feared, in the last half hour a blanket of dark clouds had rolled overhead from the west, driven by a stiff breeze. In another half hour, they would completely cover the skyline. There would be a perceptible build-up in his capabilities over the next two hours, but nowhere near the level of what he could achieve were the blazing orb revealed in full force. Had he been of a more dolorous disposition, he might almost believe that the spirits of the fallen Airbenders that lingered in this hollow were influencing the weather to deprive their peoples' enemy of every advantage in the struggle ahead.

Not for the first time today, he was thankful that Toph had chosen to accompany him. And so Iroh got back to work.

From a sealed pouch he poured out a quantity of gray greasy dust into a bowl set before him. The aged scholar replaced the leather bag in his satchel, careful not to let it touch the ground. Who knew how the spirits might react to the contents of this container, much less the one he was opening now. A larger amount of burnt ash was then mixed in with the first from a green crystal bottle. Iroh then added a measure of clear water from a flask which he had filled from the pond in his family garden. He wasn't certain whether or not the familial attachment would have any affect, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. Grimacing, he then carefully stirred the contents of the bowl into a paste with a spoon, trying not to let any of it splash to the ground or think too hard about what he was doing. It did not warrant further scrutiny.

To keep Toph from exercising any curiosity as to his morbid undertakings, he started in on the most crucial element of their quest.

"When Ozai actually went so far as to mutilate his only son, I knew that there was no more room for doubt. Whatever malignant force possessed him had gone too far. I could have challenged my brother for the throne at that point, but I knew that the odds were not in my favor. I was old and he was not. In addition, Ozai had the full support of his nobles, who seemed to share their Firelord's taste for violence and savagery to an unhealthy degree. None of them ever underwent the eerie transfiguration that he did, but that did not stop them from emulating the paragon of our nation. It was this sort of cruelty that led to the renewed assault on the Southern Water Tribe, and the edict to eliminate all Waterbenders uncovered in their forays. No longer would any quarter be given, whether capture or otherwise. Over three years ago, I set out with my nephew on his quest to locate the Avatar, just as Ozai and I had done at separate times in our youth. Only now, the journey was much more personal, for both of us. Zuko was bound and determined to reclaim what he convinced himself he no longer possessed, never realizing that in his further actions, he continued to display a level of compassion and humanity that was noticeably absent in the rest of his family."

Toph chimed in. "Relatively speaking."

He cast a critical eye in her direction. She grinned broadly at him.

"I doubt even Sokka would have bothered with that pun," Iroh said.

"I know. But since he isn't here, I figured it's my duty to try and fill in. Keep the mood light."

The coal-haired nobleman's daughter stood and began stretching, limbering up her back and shoulders before bending over at the waist to practically touch the ground with her forehead. She seemed slightly uncomfortable, and Iroh was reminded of what lay just below them, buried by time and Earthbending.

"Continue, please," Toph instructed lyrically as she twisted her torso back and forth.

Iroh went back to his enchantments. "But as I said, my purpose was to escape from the shadow of my irreparably altered brother. Over the years, I had discreetly sought to learn what his disfigurement could possibly portend. There was nothing specific to go on, no matter where I searched. From the Imperial records to the lore of the Fire Sages, there was no indication that any such affliction could exist. But gradually, though I struggled in vain to learn the reason, another mystery began to take form."

"All this had started after Ozai's being crowned. To be sure, there were excuses for any change in temperament. He had lost his father and his nephew. His wife had gone missing, and he had been suddenly burdened with a duty that was always thought of as my own. Who would not experience a shift in personality, in order to lead his people on their grand and noble crusade? But in truth, the most notable changes in his behavior emerged only after my return, and his use of the Conqueror's Soul to seal his position as Firelord. I did not speak to or see his Majesty until the day after that event, when he reaffirmed my position in court. There was no definite proof that the ancient tradition was truly at fault for what I saw that day. But as I studied the histories, and spoke to those people who had lived even longer than me at court, a pattern began to emerge."

"My father Azulon was a passionate and devoted man in his youth. He hunted the Avatar for six years before being forced to forego the quest upon the death of our grandfather. My mother and I noticed the changes that came over him then, how he grew distant from us, and increasingly obsessed with inflicting grievous injury on the last remaining holdouts of both Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe. My installment as general of the siege of Ba Sing Se was partly to limit casualties that had occurred to civilians under the auspices of his other war leaders. That was another excuse I concocted for myself. But getting back to the point: my father, whom I always loved and respected, became a different man altogether after gaining the throne. He was paranoid and short-tempered, seeming to find treachery and fault with all those around him. I doubt very much that he took any joy out of existence in those last few decades, as the worst aspects of his personality seemed to take a greater hold on his daily life. Some might attribute it to age, or the loss of his wife and other longtime sources of affection. But in hindsight, he did not seem to care very much when she did pass away, or at the deaths of his own siblings, for that matter. And when I spoke to certain venerable and long-lived residents of the court, those that still had their wits about them admitted to certain discrepancies in the later life of my grandfather Sozin."

Listening to his patient recitation, the cagey arena-grappler began to go through the fluid motions of her own naturally developed style of Earthbending. No changes in the environment were evident at the display. Instead, Toph was more focused on attuning her body to this admittedly unorthodox terrain. Being a gifted student in more than one area of learning, the only daughter of the world's richest family was well aware that the earth she and her brethren moved was partially made up of dead things that had long decomposed into the soil. But knowing that and _feeling_ the dead was another story. There were more than just bones beneath her. There were souls. She could sense them responding to her display, sluggishly reacting in their own aborted style. The dead could not do much, it seemed. But their presence was something she was going to have to take into account for when the real fight started. After all, they were trying to kill a spirit here.

At least, Toph supposed that was their goal. Iroh had been noticeably tight-lipped on just how this drama was going to play out. For this reason, she paid special attention to his words while staying bent upon her own preparations.

"The man who had a comet and a war named after him was not the same Firelord who dared to oppose Avatar Roku and lost. While my grandfather had definite militaristic tendencies, as evidenced by his aborted attempt to establish colonies in the Earth Kingdom, his ultimate goal in that venture was to spread the benefits of our culture, specifically in regards to organized trade, record-keeping, and technical developments including fire-based public sanitation and even the coal-powered ships that were capable of travelling without the need of wind or Waterbenders. Sozin was immensely proud of the civilized aspects of the Fire Nation under his rule, and rightly so in my own opinion. There were certain advantages to living in our country that were lacking amongst the other Tribes. Not to disparage your own people!" he hastily added as Toph threw a sour look at him. "All I am saying is that according to his own diaries, Firelord Sozin had initially intended a strategy that was couched in diplomacy as well as military force. The initial influx of troops was to break through what he perceived to be unacceptable and selfish indolence on the part of those foreign dignitaries he had already approached with the idea of sharing our nation's advantages with the world."

"After Roku died, Sozin did not start the war right away, as you well know. The Avatar was reborn just as he had always been. Now, ask yourself this: if Sozin truly wished to overthrow the Avatar cycle and rule the world, then why did he not launch his attack sooner, when the Avatar was still just an infant?"

Toph paused in her blind performance. "Wasn't he waiting for the comet so the Firebenders would be all pumped up just like Ozai's going to be in a few days?"

"But that's just my point!" Iroh gestured excitedly, leaving the crafting of his spiritual tools for the time being. "The arrival of this particular comet is something that has been known about for well over seven hundred years! Firebenders of the past experienced the exact same flourishing of their craft, and at no time in history up 'til then did any Firelord see fit to launch a war against the entire world. And believe you me, there have been some pretty aggressive potentates in my family. The Earth Kingdom had its own power-hungry tyrant in Chin the Conqueror. He was another threat to the balance of the world, but considering how he fared against Avatar Kyoshi, it is really no surprise that his role in history is not regarded with the same ire as Sozin."

The Earthbending genius' feet slid over the bare rock, registering the world for all its worth in every direction. "So what was different with your grandfather?"

At that point, her balding ally reached into the cloth compartment at his side and withdrew something new, settling it on the ground before him.

"I believe it was due to this."

Toph drew to a halt. She let her feet pick up the object in question. It seemed to be a fragrant lump of plant sap and other mixings fashioned in the shape of a fireball, large enough to fit inside a man's palm. Other than this, there was nothing truly remarkable about it.

"That's a Conqueror's Soul?"

"Yes," Iroh intoned heavily, eyeing the artifact with a degree of antipathy and loathing. "The spiritual barrier-breaker whose use in regal tradition was made official by Sozin. And now I think I know why."

He then picked up the smooth orange hunk of history, gazing meaningfully into its depths. Toph trotted over and placed one tiny hand on its surface, examining it more deeply, like she was trying to find something inherently evil in its composition.

"You see, the Conqueror's Soul was actually used by the Fire Sages in particular, to give them a greater degree of closeness with their spiritual overlord, the Avatar. Supposedly it was one of Aang's forbearers who first taught them how to create this item. Before Sozin's day, it was known as the Traveler's Soul, out of deference to those who walked in the footsteps of the Avatar."

"Some time after the death of Roku, Firelord Sozin made a pilgrimage to the Temple of the Fire Sages. Ostensibly, this was done to pay his respects to his lifelong compatriot, whose spirit now resided on the plane of ghosts. Whether or not this is the truth is open to debate. They were good friends once, and I could understand if Sozin felt the need for a final reconciliation with Roku, considering the manner of their last parting. Or perhaps he wished for insight into the disposition of the next Avatar. But something happened during this visit. Sozin claimed that several of the Sages attempted to bewitch him, and ordered their executions. He then installed several of his own lore-masters to take up their places in positions of leadership within the Fire Sage community. Under Sozin's direction, these up-jumped vassals declared that each successive Firelord from that day on must first take a spiritual journey by way of the Traveler's Soul in order to cement their role as the new leader of their nation. Some time later, when Aang was twelve years old, the comet appeared, and Sozin attacked. The Western Air Temple fell first, followed closely by the Southern Temple, where the current Avatar was known to reside. But though backed by the celestial conflagration, their primary objective to slay the Avatar was met with defeat. He was nowhere to be found."

"Sozin's Comet visibly burned in the sky for over two months, as is its custom. During that time, the Southern Water Tribe suffered grievous casualties due to the rumor that they had sheltered the Avatar. About six months following the return of the Firebenders to normal, the Eastern Air Temple also fell. So great was the force of the Fire Nation's first strike that the Earth Kingdom initially held back from the battle, believing that it was not necessary to engage in a conflict that mainly involved two of the other nations. And since the Avatar did not make an appearance, there was some talk that perhaps he had already perished and was now set to make a reappearance in the ranks of the Water Tribe. This delusion is what allowed the war to settle into a position that was most favorable for my people. Only with the incursion of our forces deep into Earth Kingdom territory towards the Northern Air Temple did the generals of Ba Sing Se finally spring into action. They had thought that following the comet's departure, it would be a simple matter to bring the less-populous islands of the Fire Nation to heel. This did not prove to be the case. Sozin had prepared well in his overarching ambition. As a result, it was almost two years into the war before the last bastion of the Air Nomads finally fell."

He glanced over at Toph. The little bender's creamy green irises were flicking sightlessly back and forth, as though she were attempting to puzzle out some semblance of basic earthy wisdom that might have led to such a grievous miscalculation on the part of her people. There was a look on her face now that bespoke of grief and dismay.

"How could all this have happened?" she mumbled faintly.

In response, Iroh reached up and placed his big warm hand over hers.

"Because _he_ wanted it to."

She looked right at him then, almost as if they could both see one another.

"This 'Koh' person."

"Yes." There were tears forming in both their eyes. "Sometimes called 'The Facestealer'. Enemy of my family, the Avatar, and the whole world."

Toph's fingertips traveled over the surface of the polished dry ornament. It was very smooth, without a single scratch to mar its surface. But still thoroughly unremarkable.

"Why?"

The same question as before. One that was on the lips of children the world over. They looked at their elders, and asked them simply, '_Why?_' The meat of the query usually followed after. _Why must we fight? Why are we at war? Why do you have to go? Why can't I play outside? Why isn't there anything to eat? Why can't we stop now? Why are you crying? _

_Why are you doing this to me?_

_Listen for the story of our enemy, and tell it to the children._

That was what his own child had told him. Now one of those children was standing right before him, asking to know the reason for this war. And at last, Iroh could tell her.

"To take revenge upon the Avatar."

The master fire mage replaced the orb on the ground and gently drew Toph down to join it. She looked more lost and afraid than he would ever have thought possible, almost like the frail wilting flower her parents had always pictured her as. But in a strange way, Iroh found that heartening. This girl's parents had loved her and feared for her safety to such an extent that they had actually concealed her very existence from the outside world. Her natural strength of character had rebelled to overcome those restrictions, but in some roundabout fashion, those over-protective gentry-folk had still managed to shield their little girl from the truly worst inclinations of men. This was reflected in the fact that, though she was more than willing to risk her life in combat with some of the deadliest fighters on the planet, when faced with the idea that someone could kill off an entire people for their own twisted purposes, it left her struck dumb with horror. That was the mark of a truly decent soul. In that respect, the Bei Fongs had not failed in their duties as parents.

And perhaps, Iroh thought sadly, if I had only felt such dread for the world and its perils, my son would not have had to die as he did.

"In our own way, we all bear the burdens of our parents' actions. What one man does to another leads to a complete stranger being killed years later for no apparent reason. But there is always a purpose, Toph. Even if we do not see it at the time."

"As you know by now, I am a Grand Master in the Order of the White Lotus, which was founded in ancient times as a means to bridge the divides of culture and disposition that had sprung up between the Four Nations. Our numbers have never been great, and especially not now, in these dark times. But sometimes small size can serve to keep you safe. Look at Aang, who managed to endure by himself for one hundred years, while the rest of his people were massacred. It was partly due to our lack of secrecy, our disregard of cohesion, and our flagging numbers that we were not afflicted by the loss of purpose that beset other more grandiose companies."

"Like the Dai Li," Toph offered.

"Exactly." He rubbed his eyes, seeking to stave off the first lingering signs of sleepiness for just a little while longer. Time enough for that later, when it served a purpose. "Their original duty was to safeguard the culture and history of Ba Sing Se. But over the centuries, perceiving themselves to be more of a force for opposing disorder, they confused social stability with harmony, change with loss, and fell down a path of silent tyranny, intimidation, and oppression. Those Earthbenders lost touch with their initial goals. However, like a lone flower growing on the mountainside, a few managed to retain insight as to their organization's true purpose. One in particular was a lifelong member of the White Lotus. It was to him that I turned to while living in Ba Sing Se, for as the guardians of culture, it also fell to them to keep detailed records regarding all areas of study in our world. The great University of that city houses more information than even its learned members are aware of, as it is the secret library of the Dai Li, wherein they keep hidden texts pertaining to all manner of esoteric topics, from exotic or extinct species to the hidden world of the Spirit Realm. Through them, I learned of events that transpired over eight hundred years in the past, before the Dai Li were even formed. In the time of the Water Tribe Avatar Kuruk."

"Kuruk was much like our young Aang in some respects. He was free-spirited and tended to go easy on people, not really taking his duties as the Avatar too seriously if the situation did not immediately warrant it. The Avatar of those days was a rather benevolent sort, who followed his heart in all matters, and tried not to be judgmental of the world and people under his care."

"Twinkletoes is pretty soft, now that you mention it." Toph settled back on her palms. "He tends to try and avoid tackling things head-on, and he talks a lot more than you might expect from the most powerful guy on the planet. He can get kinda crazy in a fight, though. Soft as a breeze one minute, wild and wooly the next."

"I have seen that for myself," Iroh agreed. "And I suspect that like Kuruk, Aang is very much drawn to the fairer sex."

"I never paid much attention, really." She gave a long snort and spit loudly, causing him to cringe involuntarily.

"Indeed. As you might expect Kuruk was a famous figure in our world, and more than a little interested in sampling all the joys that this life had to offer. At any rate, though, the former Avatar eventually settled on one woman in particular who had captured his heart. As luck would have it, she proved more than receptive to his entreaties, and they were engaged to be wed. Having been aware and appreciative of his vaunted position as the Bridge Between the Worlds for some time, Kuruk had grown somewhat unappreciative of the more spiritual responsibilities his work entailed. Men might find common ground more often than not, after all, but when it comes to dealing with spirits, most of us do not try and look for a mutually beneficial arrangement. Usually, it comes down to people disregarding anything that does not directly pertain to their interests or senses and casually causing an unknowing ruckus. As is so clearly evidenced by this war, mankind is often at a loss for how to coexist with itself, much less something they can barely recognize without help."

"It was perhaps this irresponsibility in regards to those not recognizable as human that goaded the Facestealer to remind the Avatar of where he came from and why that was so important."

"What happened?" The blind waif was clutching her knees to her chest in anticipation, lost in a tale of high-flying romance and days gone by.

"On the day of their betrothal, the Avatar approached his bride-to-be by the pool in the Northern Spirit Oasis and withdrew her wedding veil, to find that she no longer had a face."

Toph stared, eyes aglow and face entranced. "Just like Ozai."

The storyteller nodded grimly. "You can understand how unnerving it was for me, to find an eight-hundred year old history text that was detailing something so disturbingly similar to my own experiences. When I first read of this account, it felt as though my heart had grown cold. But at the same time, I was elated to finally have a name to put to my enemy. Things began to fall into place, like tiles on a Pai Sho board that make no sense individually. But seen from a suitable height, they unite to form a White Lotus. And before my eyes, the suffering of our world and my own family for the last century coalesced together to form a name."

"It was Koh."

He began to busy himself once more. "Even with the resources of hundreds of years of acquired learning laid out before me, I found little information to actually work with. There was no description of my enemy, where to find him, or even what his mission as a spirit might be. Perhaps, given his treatment of Kuruk, Koh's driving purpose is to lead us to face facts that we choose to ignore, often to our peril. There might be some merit to that, actually. The next Avatar, the Earth Maiden Kyoshi, proved to be of a far more reactionary and vigilant nature than her predecessor, allowing her to subdue the tyrant Chin before he could pose a serious threat to the stability of our world."

"However, before that lesson was ever learned, we still have the matter of Kuruk. When he first viewed the state of his lady love, the Warrior of the Icy Wastes knew who was responsible for it, if not why. Although the texts were maddeningly vague about this point, it is then hinted that Kuruk eventually made a journey into the Spirit Realm in search of his tormentor to convince the otherworldly entity to return what he had stolen. There is even a passage that implies the Avatar actually went to the other world with the intention of slaying Koh, a feat that is not only highly difficult if not outright impossible within the Spirit Realm, but markedly against the sworn duties of the Avatar. Irregardless, Kuruk eventually returned to us in defeat, stating that he had been unable to wrest the core of his beloved's identity from the Facestealer. What Koh's ultimate fate might have been was not touched on after that. We can only assume he survived whatever attempts might have been made upon him. But given my own experiences, I felt reasonably certain that this account served to demystify all the unanswered questions that had plagued my sleep for so long."

Everything was almost ready, and Iroh began to prepare himself for what lay ahead.

"This is what I believe happened. When Sozin visited the Fire Sage's Temple after the loss of Roku, he prevailed upon them to allow him to use a Traveler's Soul, for the purpose of rejoining his old friend, however briefly. They had no reason to doubt his veracity, but in truth, my grandfather's only goal was to seek a means by which to permanently secure himself against the threat represented by the Avatar. Perhaps by making an alliance with the less savory denizens of that realm, or simply by learning something pertaining to the Avatar's existence that could be turned to his advantage. On his ill-fated quest, Sozin at some point encountered Koh, and being unused to the ways of the spirit, he lost his face to the demon. This marked the single most important turning point in his life."

"Whoa, hold on there a second!" Toph's head snapped up, and Iroh gazed at her patiently. "Now I've been trying to take all this in so far, but there's something that just isn't quite fitting. When you say that Koh 'steals peoples' faces,' you're not really talking about their actual _physical_ faces, right? Because I mean, then everybody would run screaming at the sight of Ozai, and word would have gotten around about a great new play entitled _The Emperor Has No Face!_ You're talking about something more… spiritual, am I right?"

"Yes, Toph." The wise old graybeard bowed his head solemnly. "As far as I have been able to piece together, when Koh acquires someone's face, the change is not visible to ordinary people. There is nothing to indicate physically that any loss has taken place. Only a person supremely gifted in supernatural perceptions, like the Avatar, or certain gurus and shamans, have the ability to perceive this denuding of the spirit. Also many animals are capable of acknowledging human souls directly, to the point where they almost seem aware of whether or not a person is evil or good. Dragons in particular are reputed to have this gift, something I learned to be completely true. This could go a long way towards explaining why Sozin dispensed with our family's dragons and even adopted the practice of hunting them for sport and prestige. The dragon he rode would have been able to see that he was in thrall to Koh, along with all its brethren. If they reacted as unfavorably to his condition as I expect they would have, Sozin would have had to fear for not only his position atop the people, but possibly even his life should the dragons judge him as unworthy to be in their presence. So to protect the secret of Koh's involvement in our world, the dragons were hunted to virtual extinction, and the Faceless Firelord was left to be governed by a master much older and darker than himself."

"For in the Spirit Realm, our faces reveal everything about us. They are the physical representation of our core sense of self, the very basis upon which rests our life's meaning. What is most important to you as a human being resides within it. To lose that to Koh is to allow him into your being. Upon this happening, the soul becomes bereft of all meaning. They are directionless. The face of your spirit is really more like what we call the heart. Now, while that basic purpose may be lost to them, it is not so for Koh. He has it in his possession. And as a result, I think he is able to influence what parts of their hearts are available to them. He can accentuate a person's noblest conviction if he so pleases. Or, play upon their most base and selfish desires. Apparently that is the course he chose with my family. This manipulation and parceling of a person's spirit grows more deeply entrenched with the passage of time, to the point where they are almost completely under Koh's spell and are willing to even do things that they would have considered appalling or abhorrent in the past."

Iroh held up a finger then, unnecessarily perhaps, but he was deep into his tale, and it was done more for his benefit than Toph's.

"But there is more to it than just that. According to something I read, when Koh takes the face of a person, while they are subject to his interpretation of their character, he in turn is bound to them. Their face actually becomes his own, and he is able to see through their eyes, experience what it is that they do. The thief and his victim are linked, you see. And it is partly due to this joining that I feel there might be a means of reaching the Facestealer within the Spirit Realm, and bringing him out of that deathless world into this one. In our plane, there is nothing that cannot be injured or killed. Even spirits, when taking flesh, are bound by the rules of nature. Nothing is immortal."

"Sokka says he clobbered a spirit in the desert with a book," Toph offered helpfully.

Her partner chuckled. "That comes as no surprise."

"I couldn't really feel if he was telling the truth or not at the time, but it sounded like something he would do. So I let it slide."

Iroh then picked up the sludge-filled bowl.

"In a way, I suppose I will be trying to 'clobber' a spirit myself. Or at least try and get my hands on him."

"So then all of this would be…?"

She reached out a hand towards the bowl, and was suddenly surprised to feel Iroh catch her wrist.

"I do not think you want to touch that, Toph," the Firebender spoke gently.

"Why?" There was suspicion in her voice. "What is it?"

He let her go with a sigh. "My father's ashes."

The expression that spread across her features was almost comical in its enormity.

"SAY WHAT?!!"

"And my grandfather's, actually. You may recall…" he spoke quickly before she could start to get the wrong idea, "… that I told you there might be a connection between Koh and his victims. My belief in that respect hinges on one specific passage: _The Avatar Kuruk returned unto us then, blood of the imprisoned lady still upon his hands_. It sounds quite gruesome, I know. But actually, there was nothing to indicate that Kuruk killed his love. Certainly he was not the sort of man to do so when there was a chance that he might rescue her. The histories even record that she lived for several decades afterwards in guarded isolation from her tribe. I took this to mean that Kuruk had placed a small quantity of his bride-to-be's blood on his fingers, and then gone out of his body to meet Koh. As you might expect, it is no easy task to force a spirit to manifest itself within our world should it not be so inclined. But if my interpretation is accurate, then when the Facestealer possesses someone, there is a certain level of spiritual transference already happening. Some part of Koh now resides in our plane of existence, tied in with the body of the person he has inhabited. So if the reverse apotheosis has already been initiated to some extent, then perhaps that first contact can be used as a magnet to further the process, drawing the spirit completely into our world, where it is then vulnerable."

Iroh stopped talking.

Toph's expression of gaping horror had metamorphosed into one of raised-eyebrow disbelief.

"Sooo," she began slowly, "What you're telling me is that you plan to smear a paste made from your dead ancestors onto your body, take a hike into the Spirit World, and try to arm-wrestle Koh into a body?"

Were he not feeling a combination of fear and revulsion at this prospect, he might have found that summation funny.

"Yes."

When the look on her face only increased in intensity, he added, "If a being as wise and powerful as the Avatar tried it, then certainly it was done with a good purpose."

The Blind Bandit blew out her breath in a dismissive manner. "You know, when you said that you had researched this, I was kind of hoping for something less… stupid."

He couldn't help himself then, and the old shaman laughed.

"Actually, stupid would have been going to see Koh, letting him steal my face, and then trying to use myself as the line to reel him in."

That caused her to grin. "Now who's channeling the Idea Guy?"

The old man and the adolescent watched each other for a time.

Then Iroh looked off to the east.

"It's almost time," he said.

Seconds ticked by.

Overhead, the sky was a uniform dark pall.

Beneath their feet, the souls of those long dead reached blindly towards the living.

A ghostly wind began to wail for things long denied.

Toph shivered.

"Iroh?"

Her kindly friend smiled. "Yes?"

She twisted her feet uncomfortably against the bare rock.

"Tell me you didn't come here to die."

He blinked, shocked.

"No. Of course not! Why would you think that?"

The sightless eyes roamed over the isolated landscape. "Look at this place. I'm blind, and even I can see it's just a graveyard. So why here? Why not somewhere safer, where we can get help if we really need to? And don't give me any of that bison-juice about this being your duty and you didn't want to get anybody else involved and it's something that needs to be done by you alone," she insisted as he was just about to open his mouth. Toph then folded her arms over her chest, waiting.

The former warlord considered her statement.

He asked himself what he was doing here, in a place stained with old blood and filled with the pain of past misdeeds.

What did he hope to gain from this?

Iroh thought.

And answered.

"I'm here for revenge."

She frowned.

"Whose?"

"Mine." He then slapped the ground with his palm. "Theirs." His arms spread out to encompass the entire world. "Everyone's. All the people and animals and dreams that died as a result of this long-running conflict. It all comes to an end here, if I can help it. In two days the Avatar will confront the Firelord. Without anything else changing before then, I have no doubt that upon Aang's first meeting with Ozai, he will see the exact same thing that I did eight years ago. So he will finally know about Koh's involvement. But by then it will be too late. Sozin's Comet will have arrived to lend my brother unmatched destructive potential. It won't be just a man that your friend fights, it will be a super-powerful immortal with wisdom and experience into his enemy's nature that surpasses everything a human could ever bring to the fray. And the Facestealer is no fool. He will not allow Ozai to face Aang alone. Azula will be there, and the most proficient of our nation's Firebenders. Because proving himself the Avatar's superior is not my brother's purpose in Koh's design. All that matters is his old enemy dies here, and the Avatar Cycle is finally brought to a close."

"Without Aang, there will be no more Airbenders. The reincarnation will end, and with it, the balance of nature will be forever lost. His people met an abysmal death on this very plain, at the hands of my father. Azulon was the one who personally orchestrated this abomination, acting on the aged Sozin's behalf while he hunted for the Avatar. It was what secured his succession to the throne. I brought us here on this day, Toph, because it is the site and anniversary of history's greatest tragedy. Our planet is based on cycles. The passing of the seasons, and the resultant rejuvenation of life that is a result. Under normal circumstances, one can only navigate the divide between the Spirit Realm when approaching the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes, or the Summer and Winter Solstices. But in certain areas of the world, confluences of energy occur that allow for freer communication between the barriers. Like the Spirit Oasis of the North Pole, and the Island of the Fire Sages. For many years, I have suspected that the irrevocable harm inflicted on the world's balance in this place created a pool of spiritual energy that could provide the same sort of impetus for bringing me within striking distance of my family's tormentor. And coming here today, I feel assured that this is the case. Today of all days, the lingering miasma of the Air Nomad Nation's slaughter is at its most potent. With the Conqueror's Soul as my guide, I will enter the Realm of the Supernatural, and use the lingering connection between Koh and my forefathers, combined with the power residing in this place, to bring our nemesis to justice here."

Toph studied the ground speculatively, her fresh young face schooled in a mask of indignation and worry.

"You really think it's going to go that smoothly? How will you even find Koh, or recognize what he looks like? Do you know if that grave paste will actually let you pull him back here with you? For that matter, how do you intend to protect your own face if you're fighting this thing to the death?! What are you going to do if something goes horribly wrong at the last minute?"

Iroh was applying the ghastly mixture from the bowl to his palms, rubbing them together with a grimace. Once this was done, he picked up the Conqueror's Soul and concentrated on its ruddy orange hue.

"I believe someone will show me the way. The precautions I have taken are all that I can depend upon at this point. And I have been waiting eight years to take my shot at this foe. He will gain no hold over me, not while I am alive." Then the jovial nobleman grinned. "And besides, your being here is proof positive that things going wrong can still be turned to one's advantage. Though I intended to fight this battle alone, I am glad that I have a warrior as strong and crafty as yourself to aid me in the trials ahead."

"But what if…?" and this time there was no mistaking the fear in her voice, "What if the two of us aren't enough? What if only Aang can really match this thing blow for blow?"

"We are here," Iroh replied gravely, "because we do not _want_ the Avatar to have to face such a monster. While it is his destiny to restore balance to the world, we have chosen to make that burden as light as we possibly can. For his sake, and for those who laid down their lives before us on both sides of the war, we cannot permit ourselves to fail at this task. I do not exaggerate when I tell you that in order to see peace and true justice in our lifetimes, Koh the Facestealer's presence in this world must be destroyed."

"Please step back now, my dear."

She obeyed, having been informed of this precaution beforehand. Iroh watched her, and when he judged her sufficiently far enough away, he called out, "That should be enough."

The Conqueror's Soul was cold and harmless between his fingers. The high moan of the wind in his ears made a sound like a curse towards him and all of his family. Iroh steeled himself. Hate me if you must, you fallen children of the air. But recognize also what I hope to accomplish here. If you will not aid me, then either do us no harm, or look to that girl's safety as well as you are able. I am more grief-stricken than you can know at having to risk another child's life. Do not make me regret my coming to you this day.

High above him, the sun was at its zenith for the afternoon. For the next few hours he would be at his strongest. No telling how long it would take him to locate Koh. As far as Iroh knew, even if he should actually manage to drag the malevolent wraith into the world of the living as he hoped, it might turn out to be the middle of the night. Time was not a great issue for spirits. This he knew.

Not for the first time, the Firelord's elder brother questioned his plan. Did any of this make sense? Could he really expect to defeat an enemy that an Avatar had proven no match for?

_Why not?_ His pride shot back. Power wasn't necessarily everything. Old age had its benefits, most notably experience and a healthy appreciation for knowing when to break the rules if necessary. And no one could fault him for what he was about to attempt.

Looking up at the clearly anxious young beauty standing thirty feet away, Iroh wondered whether or not that statement would remain true once all this was over.

Just to reassure himself as much as was possible, he called out a warning to her one last time. "Be prepared for the worst once I begin. Remember, if I come back without any sign of having succeeded, you are to leave this place at once and go warn Zuko and Aang. Do not listen to anything I say afterwards, remember? Treat me as though I am an enemy. My words are not to be trusted."

"I know, I heard you the first time!" the diminutive pugilist snapped, shaking out her limbs and rolling her head back and forth. "Will you stop with the 'Beware my words' and just do it already? You're starting to make my ears itch with all this gloom-and-doom talk."

"Very well then. I'll be going."

For the second time in his life, Iroh lit the Conqueror's Soul.

The familiar smell of burning incense assailed his nostrils. The striving aesthete drew its fragrance deep into his lungs, letting the enchanted odor do its work.

Where only moments before he had been feeling anxious and tightly wound, now there was a growing sense of peace. Awareness of his body was becoming more and more faint, being replaced by an appreciation for his own thoughts. The power they gave him was more than any display of Firebending or exercise of political dominance. This was the part of his being alive that truly mattered. The soul. HIS soul. It was becoming clear to him once more. There was so much going on in the world around them that most people could never even begin to recognize. The remaining pall of the long-dead Airbenders and their Earth Kingdom guardians was now more than just a presentiment on the wind. He could recognize voices calling out against his being there, demanding that he leave the site of their deaths in peace while casting imploring and desperate warnings to his blind companion as to the dangerous company she kept.

After a space of time he could not begin to quantify, those impressions were born away. Opening his eyes, Iroh found himself engulfed in the familiar mists. They danced to their illimitable cadence, daring him to proceed ever deeper into the depths of the unknown.

This time, however, he knew what to do.

Iroh glanced down, to find the white elephant-mouse peering up at him once more.

"Hello again," it greeted him.

"Thank you for coming to see me," he responded, feeling a great deal more clear-headed than his last visit. This time he recognized the need to observe certain formalities. "I was hoping to avail myself of your services once again."

The solitary ivory tusk rooted through the rich black loam that was suddenly beneath his feet. "Nothing has changed since last time. The place you are thinking of is still one of strictest danger for all who enter there, including me. This particular Asura is certainly one of the most terrible to ever exist, if not _the_ most. Are you certain there is not somewhere more peaceful and contemplative you would like to visit?"

The traveler between worlds shook his head ruefully. "I am afraid not. Will you please lead me there? You do not have to go all the way, I just need to be set on the right path."

His composite-mammal spirit guide only flicked its tail and trunk back and forth in unison. "Yes. I suspected as much. And it is not my way to try and dissuade one who knows his purpose so thoroughly. I will definitely need a good meal afterwards. Risking oneself like this is stressful business." The little deity heaved a long-suffering sigh. Then it looked back at him, blinking the rich black lashes. "Should you return unharmed from your destination, perhaps you would care to join me and partake in my repast?"

Iroh smiled. "I think I would like that, if at all possible."

It gave him a cheerful bob of its disproportionately big-eared head. "As would I."

With that it scampered forwards, and a path through the fog became evident.

The Dragon of the West followed close behind.

* * *

She shouldn't feel left alone.

That was what Toph told herself. And it was true, to an extent. She could perceive Iroh breathing slowly and rhythmically a few yards away. His heartbeat had started to taper off as well, and for a few disturbing moments she had the impression that it was going to stop altogether. She almost ran to his side at that moment, desperate for his safety. But then the pace of his life had steadied out, leaving her trembling with relief. There was a lot to be said for Waterbending when you came down to it. If Iroh weren't so stubborn, they could have invited one of that band along with them, if only to see to their health once the fighting was over.

Earth Rumble's most decorated champion was now pacing in a circle around the axis of her ally. Toph hadn't admitted to Iroh just how much the prospect of what they were attempting unnerved her. She could deal with solid flesh-and-blood opponents. It was nature that sometimes got the better of her. And what they were about to do seemed very much like trying to fight a part of their world. The prepubescent home-schooler had never actually met a spirit, but she had always been told that they were deeply tied to the natural flow of their planet. Toph couldn't shake the impression that they were about to lock horns with a tidal wave, or a hurricane, or even a volcano. Something huge and powerful and without care for their existences. What if Iroh really was wrong in his assumptions, and Koh was beyond any sort of injury, much less being able to die like they could? Where did that leave them? Would they be able to rejoin Aang and their fellows in time to warn him of the added danger represented by the wily denizen of the afterlife?

Toph growled and kicked the discarded Fire Nation helmet angrily. All these 'what-ifs' were fracturing her calm. Being so out of touch with her element in this place, she was starting to feel unaccountably irritable.

It made her think of Zuko.

The young prince probably wasn't aware of it, but she had harbored a rather accurate impression of his character since the day they had stood exhausted but determined before a cornered Azula. The tightness of his muscles and strong pounding of his heart and lungs had allowed her to pick up on just how much conflict he was laboring under. Like everything in the world was working to hold him back from where he desperately wanted to be. She empathized, actually. Toph understood how it felt to be caged by others' often misguided perceptions of you.

So when Zuko appeared before them again in the Western Air Temple, she alone had not gone on the defensive, recognizing a marked alteration in his bearing from the moment he set foot upon the stone. Even his voice showed improvement. Much more relaxed and gentle than the hoarse screaming fit of before. Words often gave away as much to her as body language. And while Toph would never admit this to anyone, she had discovered she really liked the prince's raspy tones from that first unnecessary "Zuko here!" It was a curiously foreign sound than those belonging to her own people. She enjoyed the way he accented his '_d_'s, and how his voice could turn from intense and emotional to rumbly and soothing in a second. Part of his penance for the fiasco of their first solo encounter, aside from carrying her on his back to wherever she saw fit, had been to tell Toph bedtime stories for a week. The renegade royal hadn't seemed to notice Toph never actually went to sleep. She just closed her eyes and listened to his speech, like the sound of logs peacefully snapping and crumbling in a hot campfire. He always finished a story once he started it. That was one of the rules. But after he went off to bed, unbeknownst to Zuko, his most recent accidental victim would lie back and gloat over the experience. THAT would teach him to firebend at her! And if she took some extra enjoyment out of hearing him speak, that was nobody's business but her own.

Wait. What got her thinking like this?

Hmmm…

Oh yeah. She was actually feeling bad for him.

Zuko had asked her to safeguard his uncle. To that extent, she had tagged along on this trip and offered her services in the fight against Koh. But unless Iroh's crazy hook-and-line scheme worked, there was pretty much nothing she could do here. Just wait for him to come back to himself. And run away if things had gone wrong. The sightless prodigy didn't quite care for that tactic. However, if Iroh's fears were verified, then she really wouldn't have any means of determining whether or not he had lost his face. Even if she could see, spiritual sharpness was not something Toph had spent much time developing.

Besides, she told herself, Zuko and Aang especially would have to be warned of this potential threat. Whatever cryptic messages Iroh claimed to have left behind probably would do more harm than good were the faceless general to suddenly pop up at their backs after the comet-powered fireballs started flying.

Speaking of Iroh, he appeared to have settled into a steady pace of deep regular breathing and uninterrupted heartbeat. No other movement at all in the last fifteen minutes.

Just how long does it take to find somebody in the Spirit Realm, she thought?

* * *

"I never asked for your name the last time."

The little elephant-mouse cast a look back over its shoulder at Iroh.

"And I appreciated it. Have you never heard it is foolish to give one's true name in the Spirit Realm? It grants others power over you."

"Oooh," the son of emperors nodded in understanding. "I see. My apologies."

It blinked dismissively.

And then grinned at him.

"Call me Ekadanta. I am a Mahadeva."

Trotting along behind, Iroh cocked his head to one side curiously. "Is that something important?"

Ekadanta almost seemed to shrug then. "You tell me. How important am I to you right now?"

"Very." Immediate response.

"Then allow me to prove it." And it set off again.

Feeling rather relaxed for someone in his current position, the wary journeyer felt it wouldn't be impolite to try and make further use of his guide's gregariousness and obvious wisdom.

"Am I correct to attempt what I have come here for?"

The furry white trunk came back over its head, like an eye on a stalk watching him.

"You are here to best one of my brethren, if not kill him outright. Do you think I would approve of this?"

"Perhaps," Iroh hedged. "If the cause was just."

Ekadanta stopped.

"Why are you here, wanderer?"

The sudden halt in their travels left Iroh feeling rather worried. But he knew better than to insist on their continuing. Or trying to brush the question off. So he thought about it.

"To save my world from disaster. And to take revenge for what was done to my family."

The elephant-mouse gave its head a sad shake.

"You will have to learn to dissemble your feelings far better than that if you seek to challenge the Facestealer. The revelation of hidden truths is what he is best known for. Nor is he unaware of your being here, and why. If you try to challenge him with a lie in your heart, he will bring it out of you. And once you come face to face with your own deception, he will then take them all. The faces of your lies, and your truths."

Iroh swallowed, though there was really nothing in his mouth to taste. Even his own bitter fear.

"Are you saying that I am destined to fail?"

"Yes."

Ekadanta said it so directly that were Iroh actually in his body, he felt certain he would have thrown up.

"But then again…"

The Mahadeva resumed its progress forward.

"You are not alone in this journey, are you?"

Iroh had no choice but to follow.

The mists around them suddenly parted.

Outlined against a dark sky and crowned by a sun dimmer than any moon, an imposing and desolate mountain stood before them. It exuded the most abject isolation and upon viewing it clearly for the first time, the Firelord's heir could not help but know fear. Some people chose to surround themselves with friends and loved ones, and think themselves better for it, while others chose the exact opposite route, and thought the exact same thing. One of the qualities of the human spirit that was most overlooked and underappreciated was loneliness. It lay at the heart of virtually all their activities.

And if that were the case, then the steady heart of fearful solitude must surely beat in this place.

"Good fortune go with you, son of Azulon."

He glanced down, to find his small companion gone.

Iroh stood alone.

He looked up at the forbidding promontory.

"Then let it be so."

And he began to climb.

The moment he took his first step, something felt different.

* * *

Between one torpid pulse and the next, Iroh's heartbeat stopped.

Toph froze.

For a split second she thought he had died. And then the truth dawned on her. He wasn't dead.

He simply wasn't there.

Iroh had vanished.

The Blind Bandit came about and rushed forward. Then something hit the earth, and she ground to a halt.

It was the Conqueror's Soul. The still-burning ball rolled about the landscape before coming to rest. Judging by the feel of it, the incense beacon was still burning. She could not get nearer to verify that by scent. Iroh had made her specifically promise not to come close enough to actually breath the fumes, lest she also be drawn out of her body and lost in the realm beyond the living. Toph was not so reckless as to attempt any such thing untried and untested.

"IROH!" she called out desperately, helpless fear and confusion swarming in her breast. This had not been part of the plan. "Can you still hear me? What's going on?!!"

There came no answering call.

"IROH! ANSWER ME!! PLEASE!"

No response.

He was truly gone.

She shifted her stance, feeling the lonely earth tell her everything that was happening all about this hollow. It sent her a message of abject solitude.

Toph stood alone.

"DON"T LEAVE ME!!"

Nothing.

The blind geo-sensitive remained in frustrated impotence, her cries echoing throughout the slopes.

And then, as she was caught up by her own thwarted outrage, something she could not see and only registered peripherally began to happen.

While the last remnants of her shouts began to die out, a different tone grew softly in the wind. Like the voices of the dead, forlorn and ghostly, they seemed to respond to her desperate pleas for aid. It actually sounded like a conversation was taking place.

A rumble of discontent came from the earth.

Neither Toph nor the wind paid it any mind.

Then the soft breezy currents began to change. They gained some marginally greater focus, and a barely recognizable power. Those driven puffs of air curled about the glowing Conqueror's Soul and its smoky offering. Teasing the vapors, nudging them bit by bit on a different path.

Anchored blind-eyed to her favored means of sensory perception, the little Earthbender could not see how the plumes of incense were gradually starting to come towards her, intent as she was on what the ground had to say.

_Heart of our kingdom…_

_Look out_.

Their warning came to her then, and she drew in a deep reflexive breath in preparation.

The hot smell of burning incense entered her nostrils, travelling through her lungs with a further gift of extrasensory perception beyond what even Toph was accustomed to experiencing.

The ground seemed to vanish all of a sudden.

* * *

Iroh felt chilly.

It was several more strides up the path before he fully registered that, and another few seconds before he could make the connection.

He was feeling, where only moments ago there had been no information coming to his being other than sight and sound.

It was not this place. Something had happened to _him!_

He was back in his body.

But still in the Spiritual World.

The Dragon of the West blinked, mystified.

"This… wasn't in the history books," he rumbled.

From the great black hole in the cliff face before him, he thought he heard his name.

For just a few seconds, indecision reigned supreme.

Then the devoted parent brushed aside any worries.

Fixing his face in a carefully settled look of deepest neutrality, he entered the cave.

* * *

Her sightless eyes grew wide.

She fell to her knees, reaching out for the earth in a blind panic.

Toph felt nothing.

She smelled nothing.

There was no ground to feel.

But she knew it was there.

Because…

She could see it.

Toph could see.

_To be continued…_


	4. Games and Learning

There were steps leading down.

Steps.

Something so common and ordinary and unremarkable that you could go your whole life without giving them a single thought. And under normal circumstances, it would have been wholly natural not to do so.

But this situation was far from normal.

This was the Spirit World. Where the laws of men held no sway.

So when Iroh entered the mouth of the forbidding cave that served as a door to his enemy's lair, he was momentarily mystified to encounter the stairwell leading into the darkness.

The ardent soldier hesitated, pondering his options. There was hardly any doubt that something had gone wrong in his admittedly amateur conjurings. His sojourn into the spectral realm was intended to be an entirely astral affair. Only now he found himself encumbered by warm, solid flesh. Iroh could feel the workings of his own body, and even the clothes upon his back. Nothing else provided him with the same descriptive sensations. The landscape of this dimension registered on his skin only as either a slightly pleasant or unnatural prickle. Nothing more. His sight and hearing were still as keen and functional as if they belonged on this plane. The only scent in his nostrils was the lingering odor of incense. And he seemed to find no trouble breathing. Actually, the befuddled Firebender was having difficulty recognizing whether he was actually taking in air or not. Still, not suffocating was something to be thankful for. And the strata of this world apparently still supported his bulk. He had not fallen through like a particularly fat water-skimmer on the surface of a pond, as one might have imagined given this situation. Not that such a situation had ever crossed his mind; to Iroh's knowledge people had a hard enough time getting their spirits into the Spirit Realm, much less their bodies. There were legends of abductions and people disappearing for years only to return home with no visible signs of aging, to be sure. He only hoped that…

"What am I doing?" Iroh whispered.

He was standing here behaving as ineffectually as a lifelong academic, analyzing and pondering the philosophical implications of this unprecedented event, at least in his experience. Hadn't his resolve in coming to this place been to bring an end to the possession that had marked his family for three generations?

_Why am I just standing here?!_ Iroh demanded of himself.

_Because you might really die._

That hit the mark.

This quest had been undertaken with the implication that it might end with him losing his soul at the very least. That threat existed in a palpable and demonstrated form. But somehow, Iroh had never really expected the menace to his life to come before that selfsame peril could be faced.

_So then, face it._

_Face your demon_.

He glanced down, almost expecting to find Ekadanta there, urging him on into the shadowy crypt. But there was no one else to be found.

_It's all up to you, now._

His mind was working again, but it was no longer constrained by the dissociated obsession with minutia of before.

Iroh son of Azulon instead took the time to test his mettle.

A punch of his fist produced nothing. Not even the slightest spurt of flame came forth to bring light into that gaping void before him. Obviously attacks involving the elements were in as little evidence now as when he only had a spirit body to worry about. So much for unexpected bonuses in the fight ahead. He then spit upon the ground. Or rather, tried to. If anything came out, he could not see it. Was all this an illusion, perhaps, and he was really standing in the canyon as before, walking around and possibly burning or spitting on everything in sight? No, no time for such unfounded concerns! Only what he knew for certain mattered.

There came a sound from the dim environs ahead like the rustling of dead leaves, or perhaps the skittering of knives over bare rock.

Iroh then knew that his opponent was indeed in attendance.

He also understood that his presence here had not gone unnoticed.

Somewhere inside these catacombs, Koh the Facestealer waited for him.

"I accept your invitation," the battle-hardened scion spoke softly.

He then took the stairs at a slow, steady rate, descending out of the spiritual penumbra that existed throughout this plane.

The Dragon of the West did not touch anything. There seemed to be nothing but bare rock at first glance. However, when his perusals drew upward, something suddenly dawned on Iroh. This fortification he was in… it was not as he had thought. Both times upon previously spotting the sky-capped monolith whose lower reaches he was now intruding upon, the spiritual wayfarer had assumed it to be a mountain. But that was not the case. A closer examination revealed that he was actually moving below the base of a colossal dead tree. Only now did it occur to him: there had been an outcropping at the most storied height of this spire which reminded him of a crown, its twisted spears almost seeming to cradle the faint disc that offered illumination to the twilight world. But apparently those must have been branches. The only ones in evidence on this soaring hulk. And he was now working his way through the root structure, like a worm or an insect shoveling through the soil.

The comparison did nothing to bolster his mood.

With each step there was now the steady accompaniment of his pounding heart and infuriatingly trembling limbs. Nothing had come out to attack or entice him. Being forewarned, he concentrated on keeping any trace of an expression from crossing his face. Pretend you are at court, the long-time courtier advised himself. Give nothing away. Keep up the mask of social pretenses, and allow the others to reveal themselves to you. All their schemes and aspirations are on display for you to see. You are wearing more than a mask, it is a suit of armor to protect you against the wiles and machinations of those eager to turn you to their advantage. Do not trust them with your own thoughts. Keep them guessing, off balance. They are vulnerable that way.

Who would have thought his old lessons in noble intrigue would pay off in such a setting? Iroh could have laughed.

In fact, he almost did.

But at the last second he remembered, and stopped himself.

There came a rustling from the shadows, and the old dragon got the sudden impression that his inattention had very nearly cost him his face.

The blank look he forced himself to turn in the direction of that noise was slightly marred by the cold sweat that stood out on his brow. To try and cover this, he spoke for the first time.

"Won't you come out and reveal yourself to me? I am anxious to look upon you after having spent so long in the dark."

He waited.

No answer was forthcoming.

So Iroh continued moving.

He kept his eyes peeled and his ears open. The roots of this lifeless forest behemoth wove through the walls of his passage. There were further openings in the ceiling somewhere, and beams of light speared down to illuminate his way, almost blinding in their relative brilliance. But a side effect of this celestial divination was that the shadows beyond the light's reach became all the more impenetrable. There could be anything in there. Or anyone.

At last Iroh took his last step off the stairs. They ended in a large cavern, its sides also pocked with vast tendrils and white shafts. There were no other readily obvious means of entrance. Apparently this was Koh's true domicile. A tremendous stalactite from the center of the hollow's roof came down only a short ways above his head. The ground was rough and unpaved. No other features struck him as particularly memorable.

There was nothing to indicate just what he was about to face.

The master of this domain had still declined to make an appearance. There was only a vague presentiment at the back of his neck to tell the cagey combatant that something dangerous was lurking hereabouts. But what exactly was he about to challenge here? In spite of having the records of the Dai Li to tutor him, nothing in those tomes had given a clear description of just what the Facestealer looked like. Was he man-sized, or possibly small and hard to notice? That might actually make it easier to sneak up on his prey, Iroh surmised. Like a tiny gnat that buzzes in and out of a person's vision.

Wishful thinking, Zuko's uncle knew. Something told him that Koh would not turn out to be a puny little thing that was unable to put up any fight. The fact that he even had stairs to use would logically conclude that they were there for Koh's benefit and not just his victims.' So at the very least, the spirit was of a size to find such a contrivance useful.

But this was pointless, trying to guess as to his nemesis' shape and form by conjecture and extrapolation. No, the time for study and planning was far behind him. He was in the beast's lair at last, and it was time they both knew one another. Iroh closed his eyes, attempting to steady himself.

"KOH!" the Dragon of the West suddenly called out in a mighty voice, "PREFERRING TO REMAIN HIDDEN IN THE SHADOWS? WHY DO YOU NOT REVEAL YOURSELF? IS THE STEALER OF FACES NOT PREPARED TO DISPLAY HIS OWN, FOR FEAR OF WHAT IT MIGHT SHOW? ARE YOU AFRAID OF ME?"

"Why do you close your eyes, Iroh?"

_From right in front of him!_

"Afraid of what you might see?"

Iroh's lids sprang open, to find before him the snarling, hate-filled face of his dead father.

* * *

"It's… real!" Toph whispered.

She stared at the world around her.

"Color…"

A world revealed in all its chromatic glory.

"Colors are REAL!!!"

Always, since the days of her infancy, the congenital invalid had harbored a lingering suspicion that everyone she knew was teasing her. That there was no such thing as this 'color' they all talked about. It was just a trick, a malicious prank they had devised to keep her feeling diminished and inferior, and everyone was in on it but her. The talk of hues and penumbras that peppered even her new friends' conversation was laced with the most miniscule hint of paranoia that they too were just jeering at her behind their words.

Unwittingly, that phobia had just been dispelled.

Because now, Toph could see it all.

_And it scared her half to death!_

IT MADE NO SENSE! There was… nothing real about it! She could _see _things, but couldn't _feel _ANYTHING! No sense of shape, no recognition, she didn't even know _what_ it was she was seeing! Toph felt like she was drowning again, everything the geopath recognized as natural having been torn away from her and replaced with madness and irrationality. Things were moving, through the sky and on the… well, she supposed it was a ground, but there was no impression of it registering beneath her feet. Just this spreading uniform indescribable _color_ that didn't tell her about where she was, what was around her, or even where anything was in relation to her. It was a total mess! How could anyone possibly know where they were or what was happening all about them if the only information they got came from this mute unresponsive SIGHT?!!

Overwhelmed, the veteran duelist collapsed backwards. Her hands felt no resistance. They didn't even feel themselves! She had support, but lacked an understanding of why. With no previous experience to guide her, Toph found that she was completely out of her depth. The urge to scream at this improbable turnabout was building up inside her, and to stifle it, she clapped her hands over her miraculously functioning eyes.

That actually worked. The assault on her basic senses disappeared from her perceptions, save for the blessedly unaltered hearing that still offered some perceivable form of sanity. It gave her a measure of calm.

Toph used this opportunity to think.

Okay. Let's take stock of reality. What do we know for sure?

Well, for starters, I don't think we're in the Earth Kingdom anymore. And outside of being abducted by strange beings from beyond the moon, the only rational explanation was…

Well?

What is it?!

THINK!

Get working, brain! C'mon, wake up, no time for snoozing, we need to work together to solve…

"You're in the Spirit World."

YES!

Wait a minute.

That wasn't you, was it, brain?

She took her hands away, realizing too late that she might not want to.

Toph saw something before her.

And although seeing things was still a source of unmitigated terror for the stranded soul, even she could find nothing menacing about this newcomer.

For starters, it wasn't even half her size. In either direction. That much was clear even to her infantile sense of sight. But beyond that, there still wasn't much information. It was… narrow. Were those feet? And a head? If so, then the round things must be eyes. And they definitely seemed to be looking at her. At least, in the same way she imagined she was examining it.

You know what? Forget trying to figure this out on my own. I'm asking for help!

"Can you tell me what you are?" she asked the little thing.

The supposed head moved to one side.

"I am a spirit."

"Spirit of what?"

"Vengeful justice."

"Oh." Toph frowned, confused. "Um, actually, I meant, what were you when you were alive?"

"Which cycle?"

This was getting nowhere. "How should I know?! The last one! The one that made you… look… like this!"

Its eyes dropped, and it seemed to take a close look at itself, then back at her.

"Are you referring to my appearance?"

"Yes. What else would I be referring to?"

It seemed to shake itself. "Well, if you must know, I am commonly affiliated with falcons."

The girl stared.

"Ah. I… see."

So. This is what a falcon looked like.

Super. Now she knew.

Just as she was about to make a sarcastic comment, a few things occurred to Toph.

She was talking to a bird. It was talking back. And this…

Was what a falcon _looked_ like.

"Whoa," the awestruck preteen breathed as she suddenly realized the implications.

Toph knew how avians were shaped, and how their bodies worked. So with this set of information available to her, she took the time to try and equate it with what she was viewing now. A falcon at rest had a bone structure reasonably similar to other animals, something that virtually every beast shared on a certain level. And if it was obeying a sort of version of the rules she was familiar with, then that meant the things touching the ground were its talons. Okay, work up from there. Those had to be the legs, and they connected to the body. Even higher, on the disconcertingly stressful mix of different colors that must house the chest, spine and feathers, there were two folded flaps at either side. And that meant they were the wings. Which left only the head. With two round eyes, and a beak.

After a minute, Toph finally felt willing to accept that this conjunction of images really did translate into her private definition of 'bird.'

"You're confused," it spoke to her again, and its mouth worked up and down. Toph stared at this fascinating visual display of sound production for a moment, before realizing the import of its words.

"Yeah. I think I'm kinda lost."

Its head bobbed one way, then another, and Toph had an inspiration that this was nodding. She was learning!

"You're not really here to avenge anybody, are you?"

"Well…no. I guess not. Why, is that a problem?"

"Not for me." The raptor did something then that caused her to stare. Had it just grown bigger?! No, wait, maybe that was what fluffing itself looked like! Weird. Afterwards it continued talking. "But you came in around the same period as one of my actual followers, so I thought you might just be gearing up to something truly vengeful! You know, slow-burning, that sort."

The girl hesitated, finding herself confused by more than just the predator's speech. Now that she was here, what exactly could she do? Should she try and find a way back to the real world? Or maybe…

"Can you tell me where I can find Iroh?"

The feathered bundle fluffed itself out again, making Toph jerk back at this unfamiliar display. "Do you mean the vengeance-seeker? The older man?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

It nodded again. "I answered that call years ago, on his first journey to us. But it wasn't my fault! Since he was here, I simply assumed he had reasoned out what had transpired and who needed to be brought to task for it. How could I be expected to distinguish between bereaved wrath and vengeful bloodlust?! They're not mutually exclusive, you know! Farthest thing from it! We go where we're needed, not just when specifically summoned. And it fell under the auspices of my profile. You see where I'm coming from with this?"

"Not a bit."

Nowhere in this jumble of declarations was a name, and so she took to calling it 'the Avenger' in her head. As she suddenly decided on this title, the Avenger gave a rather desultory croak at her. "Look, I'll admit I might have been a tad premature in my blessing. I bestowed upon him the burning flame of the sun, to keep within his heart until such time as he faced the architect of his family's undoing. To be honest, I don't think he even noticed it, because he started talking to someone else as soon as he laid eyes upon me. I don't mind. No, seriously, I gave it some thought. It's there when he needs it. All it will take is my grandfather's blessing to activate, and from then on it falls to him to complete his quest. That's a most estimable contribution in my opinion, considering who he would eventually have to fight." Suddenly the hawk hopped a little closer to her. "Between you and me, I would rather smell the Stinking Head again, and battle the Red Hippopotamus, rather than risk losing my will to the Facestealer."

Toph gaped. "You know about Koh too?!"

"I know to stay away from him," the Avenger supplied. "He's unspeakably old, you know. Spirits of that age sometimes tend to become a little dissatisfied with their expression on you guys' plane, and start behaving in a more direct manner of influence. I can't really blame them, though. You know that you humans are prone to ignoring things that are staring you right in the face?"

"Hey!" She was only now starting to grow a bit less trepidatious about her position, and actually leaned a little forward. "Don't go bad-mouthing my species, all right? We've got plenty of good things to offer, and coming from somebody whose only contribution to the world is coughing up owl pellets, I'd say we're allowed some leeway!"

The falcon cocked its head at her.

"Do you normally take offense that easily, or is it just a result of being out of your element?"

"My _element_ is going to squash you if you don't stop talking and tell me where I can find Koh!"

It spread its wings, and burst into flames.

Toph fell backwards with a startled yelp.

The burning Avenger flew up to hang in the air over her, and spoke.

"Do not deceive yourself, child. There is no bending capable in this realm. No elements of any kind. You have only your own ba to defend you with, and not even that if you intend to challenge the power of the Facestealer."

It dropped down lower, and the combination of instinct, previous experience and unfamiliar perceptions caused Toph to frantically cover her face with her hands once more.

"Do not fear," the solar deity continued. "Your cause is just, else I would not be here. Take some small comfort in knowing that as a certainty. But since your heart is filled only with the desire to protect, not avenge, I cannot bless your undertakings directly. So the gift I offer you is one of guidance."

There was some kind of sensation coming off this thing now. It wasn't heat, really, more like… emotion. That she could feel in her soul body. Courage, and determination. These things offered her not harm, but strength, and so the human spirit lowered her hands to let these feelings bathe her face like the rays of the sun.

The flaming phoenix burned ever brighter, and suddenly it _was_ the sun, inexplicably huge but completely visible, rising higher and higher into the strange oppressive sky. Toph had never witnessed this solar giant before, but some lingering scrap of racial memory let her know that was what it was, and there was nothing to fear from it. The Avenger's voice sounded from the direction in which it now resided.

"_Follow this aged eye to the most ancient tumult_."

It was so high now she could hardly make it out. But its brightness had begun to recede. And in looking upon it, Toph felt her terror of what that light had to show her diminishing.

She began to see.

* * *

Anyone else, anyone at all, whether human or not, and Iroh's dispassionate mask would have slipped, costing him everything.

But Koh chose to use his father.

And that proved a mistake.

Because when Iroh looked into the face of Azulon, the only thing that went through his mind was, _I WAS RIGHT._

Finally, all the doubt and uncertainty was swept away, leaving a clear focus as to his reason and purpose in being there.

When no trace of emotion emerged in the victim, Koh retreated a few paces away. The ageless spirit's facial seal closed up in an eye-blink, momentarily negating the threat of soul possession.

This split-second transition gave Iroh the scant time he needed to acclimate to the inhuman monstrosity before him.

_I was wrong._

Koh was not small, and gave no appearance of being weak. The Facestealer's form was revealed at last, a length one-third that of an adult dragon hanging halfway on the wall while the rest swayed in midair before its intended prey. What crouched patiently before the Firelord's brother most closely resembled a gigantic venomous centipede, the chitinous segments of its body easily twice as broad as Iroh himself. It had three pairs of legs towards the head and a similar cluster at the rear, so there were not a hundred sets of insectile daggers pattering eerily over the stone walls. It only seemed that way. The noise from twelve such implements was no less disturbing for its apparent incongruity. There seemed to be two sword-long stingers coming off the rear, coupled with a pair of waving whipping antennae. At the head was the great bulging face-sack, surmounted by a ring of curved spear spider-legs that clutched and twitched towards Iroh menacingly. At the precise center of that bloated circle was a single closed eye.

The creature's blink was a flash of lightning, reopening to reveal the white-skinned red-lipped surface Koh tended to favor in his dealings with others.

Human and spirit watched one another for a while, Koh's face worked into an amused smirk, Iroh displaying no recognizable emotion at all.

The game had begun.

An unnerving medley of clacking limbs filled the underground recesses as its master's vast bulk danced gracefully up the wall and into the shadows. Now only his actor's mask was visible to the human, hovering eerily like a disembodied wraith in darkness.

"It's been several years since you and I could find the time to chat, hasn't it, Iroh?"

His voice was inconsistently rich, deep and luxurious. Almost regal in the level of self-assuredness evident in each word. But more than anything, Iroh was reminded of certain theatre performers he had met, men and women capable of controlling every single nuance and inflection in their tones. In this fashion, Koh gave the impression of being on very good terms with his guest, pleased at his sudden appearance, and more than willing to have him die.

More than the abrupt and nerve-jangling appearance, that one sentence almost pushed the man to his breaking point. For several seconds the combination of rage and fear was so great that Iroh's vision was tinged in red, heartbeat thundering in his ears, his every impulse telling him to launch himself at this horror and tear it limb from limb, like a child torturing an insect!

He trembled on the cusp of defeat.

But those feelings proved so intense that they drained the reserves of energy in his physical body, leaving him with no strength to do anything, not even assume an angry look.

Apparently unaware of this confluence of thwarted desires, Koh continued in his sibilant remonstrance.

"You were always a very determined soul. I saw much to work with in you, and I was looking forward to a closer relationship between us."

The smiling vision slowly retreated deep into the shadows as it spoke, eventually disappearing completely from view.

"But it simply wasn't meant to be."

In a rush the spirit came rearing over Iroh from behind to stare into his eyes, and this time it wore the face of his brother Ozai.

The sight he had been deprived of for eight years galvanized the elderly noble into full awareness of his plight, and the strength began returning to his frame.

At last, he felt capable of addressing this foe.

"I believe I have you to thank for that, master spirit."

At that, Ozai raised an eyebrow languidly.

"And what brought you to that conclusion, I wonder?"

Before Iroh could even remember his reason for being here, the unseemly invertebrate again withdrew out of his reach. It crawled a little ways off and stood regarding him with a very speculative air. The spectral stalker could have kicked himself; Koh had voluntarily placed itself within his reach and he had failed to act upon it accordingly!

But then it dawned on him that this was not how his plan was geared. Nothing could be left to chance. There were only two optimum risks to choose from, and one had already been revealed. He would just have to draw this out until the other opportunity presented itself.

And so their duel commenced in earnest.

"For over one hundred years," the military strategist began edging towards his opponent, hands hidden within the folds of his sleeves, "there has not been a single decision made by the Firelord that did not come first with your approval. If I never fell under your influence, it is due entirely to your not finding me worth the trouble of investing as the next leader of my nation."

Koh hardly ever stopped moving. Swaying slowly back and forth, or sliding along the walls and floor of his cavern, the enormous insect seemed willing and capable to react with astonishing speed whenever necessary. They were like two predators circling each other warily, looking for the first one to make some fatal mistake.

"I would have thought your coming here had more to do with what was about to happen in the future instead of the past. You should know that your brother has been under great stress recently. So many members of his family have broken away from the avowed destiny to strike off on their own. Ozai is feeling very strongly the absence of both his brother and his son."

The fact that it was his sibling's lips speaking those words in a foreign tongue caused a shudder to pass up Iroh's spine, but he kept all evidence of such distress from reaching any higher.

"Do you understand why I have come here, Koh?"

It chuckled then, those familiar features twisting into a perverse exaggeration of his beloved junior's sense of humor.

"Why, I do believe you mean to be a hero, General Iroh! And you entered my domain intending to serve up my head at your precious nephew's coronation feast."

"It is the least you deserve." This was even more unnerving than he had imagined, attempting to draw closer to this malignant horror while suppressing the extreme expressions of furious emotion it elicited within him. Iroh was trembling and sweating, clenching his jaw to an almost painful extent. If this went on much longer, he would have to resort to biting his tongue, leaving the rest of their conversation rather one-sided.

"You're much more violent than you might have led the young Avatar to believe."

"I captained the charge of your war for a time, did I not? Have you never heard the expression 'a double-edged sword'?"

"A few years on a failed battlefield..." the spirit's face took on a more chilly, blood-curdling mien, "... and some hours spent pouring over abridged histories full of conjecture and speculation..." all of the spider claws gleamed wickedly like polished knives, "... and you expect to overcome_ me? _The expression that really springs to mind is 'delusions of grandeur'."

Koh had actually grown somewhat still there for a moment, and his adversary did not fail to notice this. Perhaps while he was laboring to dissemble his emotions, the best offense would be to bring out the mirror reaction in the enemy.

"And I suppose your one hundred years of failure not only to win a war but to kill a child makes you something to fear."

Of a sudden the mercurial mask was less than an inch from his nose, revealing a broad brutish manic-eyed countenance that resembled the face of a berserker. Once again his all-too-human heart was set on a frantic pace, but a renewed determination allowed Iroh to meet its glare unflinching without even a blink.

Stone-faced, the lifelong warrior let his gaze wander slowly about the spider's rough-hewn lair. "You are a disappointment to me, Facestealer. I came here expecting to encounter a vicious monster, and instead I find you are little more than a worm grubbing about in the dirt. The only weapon I truly needed was a sufficiently large boot."

The rattling of the abomination's appendages was as stark as the wind through dead branches, and those curved scimitars that crowned its peak suddenly launched out to hover near his throat. Iroh stilled himself, feeling more curious than frightened. Though Koh was now very close to him, he was not yet ready to play his trump card. There was still some question as to whether it would work, as well as a potentially disastrous failing that had not gone unnoticed by him. Right now, though, he was keen to test another unquantified mystery.

Just then Koh drew away again, without causing him any harm. Its visage was displaced by a very striking alien semblance similar to a cross between a cobra and a tiger-sparrow.

"Actually, your greatest weapon is knowledge. Shall I fill you in on that respect, or would you prefer to simply continue maligning me?"

It was greatly disturbing how close that barb hit, for Iroh had indeed just learned something of great value.

Apparently, Koh was unable to do him any harm.

It made a sort of sense. From all accounts, this entity's character and pursuits revolved mainly around outmaneuvering or simply surprising its prey. If all Koh really needed was to get someone to show emotion, the most accomplished method of doing so in the physical world involved inflicting pain on a person. The resultant expression of agony could be relied upon to bring out a whole slew of facial contortions. But it would seem that this alternative was not available to the spectral inquisitor. He could only draw out your feelings, not force them on you. That would come only after it had gained its prize.

So now the game had entered a most dangerous stage.

The Facestealer would continue endeavoring to shock him into revealing his true self, and Iroh would strive to keep it attendant on doing so, and therefore hopefully not considering just how much of a threat he really posed to it.

All he needed was time. And in a way, having his body here meant he would not have to rely on untested calculations and mathematical formulae.

Already, Iroh was starting to feel a pronounced sense of coldness that had nothing to do with fear or the slight chill that he had grown accustomed to in the Spectral Realm. And if this was not just a delusion brought on by his overtaxed system starting to shut down, it meant that before long the effects of the Conqueror's Soul would wear off, bringing him back to a more earthly existence.

Which was precisely what he had hoped for since this contest started.

The white kabuki mask was back, appearing completely unperturbed.

"We both seem to be waiting for something. I wonder which will get there first?"

Iroh had to resist the urge to smile back.

"We'll just have to find out together."

* * *

Before she could take her first step on this venture, Toph determined she would have to learn to crawl.

It wasn't so much a matter of being unable to walk. Movement in the Spirit Realm didn't involve muscles or coordination. Her body was still safely grounded in the physical world. At least, she hoped. This was more about answering a few lingering long-held suspicions.

So just as she had done before with the unnamed spirit, the clear-eyed misfit began to examine her visible form.

Sitting back, Toph first took in her toes. Wiggling them proved both feasible and fairly hypnotic. Once you actually saw it, it was hard to really equate the experience with what she knew to be the full range of movement involved in this sensation. You couldn't adequately reach the conclusion that your will was driving what you were seeing. There wasn't that definite sense of certainty that came with her developed method of expanding past the blindness. But considering the current dilemma, she would just have to cope with the limitations this method involved.

Next came verifying those were her legs she was viewing. The exact name of the skin color still eluded her, but there was something undeniably soothing about it. Like there could never be anything threatening in such a color. The same was true for her clothes, which had Toph stumped there for a while as to their provenance. But at least she hadn't popped into this reality stark naked, as she might have suspected. Iroh hadn't mentioned anything along those lines. And nudity was never something that registered very high in her interest anyway. Not for the reason that she couldn't see it, but because the sheltered plutocrat's daughter was actually already used to it. While it was unlikely any of her friends realized this, the Blind Bandit was very much aware of what each of them 'looked' like under their clothes. One of the advantages of being able to read below the surfaces of people. For some time Toph had harbored the mischievous notion of casually informing Katara about certain relative differences that existed between the boys in their group. Just to see how the easily-rattled Waterbender would handle it.

But such thoughts would have to wait. Instead the anxious soul fell to examining her waist and hips, followed by the attendant arms and hands. Waving her digits back and forth was another disorienting sensation, but she was beginning to accept the idea that this really did register as proof of her own existence in this world. The head was a tricky concept to grasp, although it seemed to define her viewpoint in a manner previously reserved only for her feet. Toph found moving of the lips and speaking still correlated to one another, regardless of this being an extraterrestrial existence. But as far as she could tell, there was no need or proof that blinking was required, regardless of her inexperience in the finer points of seeing. Nor could she smell anything.

Whatever the case, her perusal of self was now complete, and Toph felt confident enough to make an attempt at exploring outside her skin.

With her body as a focal point, the newborn observer began to study the environment. _There's a ground, that much we've covered_, she thought. That knowledge didn't garner the same enthusiasm as usual. But if she gathered her bearings correctly, then at some distance around her there were other objects to be seen. Stuff that remained rooted to the ghostly soil just like she was, but without any visible movement. After some careful consideration, it occurred to Toph that these must actually be trees. Or possibly their spirits. Whatever. They were extremely tall and distinctly inhuman in appearance, so that conclusion seemed to be born out by observation. But the precise workings of her vision seemed to be slightly out of whack, because those trees farther away from her seemed to noticeably shrink with the distance. She might have chalked this up to simple differences in growth, but the very same occurrence was evident with everything else, including what she took to be rocks and other smaller plants. It was just too universal to be a coincidence. So the diminishing of size with distance was something she would just have to get used to, however surrealistic it might be. If only there were someone she trusted to explain such matters to her, but no more obvious residents of this locale had chosen to make themselves evident to her.

It was this line of thinking that reminded Toph of exactly where she was, if not precisely why. Somewhere in this alien atmosphere there could be found Koh. And, in all likelihood, Iroh as well. Whether or not she had intended to be transported here was irrelevant. The fact of the matter remained that she was in attendance, and while her regular means of exploration and apparently even combat were not available to her, that did not preclude her from being any help in this venture. Toph had never been the sort to marginalize herself, and now was certainly not the time to start. If she could not determine the reason in her coming here, that just meant she would have to make one up.

With that thought firmly in mind, the resolute roughhouse began to climb awkwardly back up.

To her surprise, this proved less of a challenge than she had suspected. There seemed to be no real weight or inertia to deal with here. In fact, before she knew it Toph was righted and standing securely on her own two feet. She glanced down to be absolutely certain of this, since she couldn't feel it one way or another. But it was the truth. She was vertical, and prepared to engage in forward motion.

One foot after another, then.

Toph took a step, and began to walk.

The thing that actually almost made her sit back down again wasn't her progress, it was the changes that resultant act precipitated in her environment. It almost looked to her eyes as if things in the front were rushing straight at her. Instead of stopping, however, the spunky peripatetic chose to treat this as a learning experience. She slowed her pace, and the apprehensive assault on her senses diminished accordingly. That was worth interest. When the trees and rocks had settled into more manageable rates of speed, she then tackled how to best clear them, which proved to be walking around once she got too close. Her initial judgment on this matter proved to be less than perfect, causing her to collide with some gnarled bark and boulders on occasion. But doing so didn't seem to injure Toph. In fact, they didn't really register one way or the other, at least in terms of pain or tactile response. They existed. It wasn't like she could just walk right through them, but as far as she could tell, the only real barrier they represented was to her vision.

How to get anywhere seemed to be pretty much worked out. The next thing to tackle was where exactly she wanted to go.

"Follow this aged eye to the most ancient tumult," she repeated softly.

Then, feeling particularly out of her own experience, Toph complied, and raised her eyes skyward.

The color of the sky was not as soothing as Aang was wont to express. It bore some slight resemblance to the ground, actually. Spatial perceptions became even trickier when looking up, where nothing seemed to truly indicate just how far above you that blank sky might be. Were it not for the lofty trees rearing far overhead, she would have been tempted to reach up and try to touch it. Just to see if it was really as close as its appearance suggested. But that was not what she did.

Instead, Toph was resolved to focus on the only clearly separate element in that colossal if somewhat uniform spectacle. That being the sun.

It was clearly round, and definitely bright, but not to the extent she had been led to believe. Looking at it did not bring on the paroxysms of agony she had been assured those blessed with sight were prone to suffering. Instead this orb seemed rather... perhaps 'worn out' was the correct term. Faint, like it had been in use for a very long time and was beginning to diminish in its effectiveness, the same way a fire tended to burn down low after a few hours. This was what Toph imagined something like that would look like.

In truth, she had no reason to trust the falcon spirit. For all she knew, it was allied with Koh, or possibly even had been that selfsame spirit, sense it had certainly not given any other name. But for the time being, it was the only lead she had to go on.

So Toph set forth on her way, using the heavens as her guide.

* * *

"Tell me why you are doing this."

He was fighting for his life and the future of his world, but somehow Iroh couldn't let this conclude without having a few basic questions answered.

Koh was circling around him now, his current physiognomy bearing a distinct resemblance to warriors of the Water Tribe. When he spoke next, it was with a marked air of supreme indifference.

"I was under the impression that you knew. After all, there aren't too many records of my exploits in your world. None that have been verified, at any rate." He smirked, pendulous eyelids half-closed in a desultory fashion. Koh apparently took enjoyment from teasing his victims, especially with words.

And yet, in a way...

"The tale of my encounter with Kuruk of the Wastes is still a source of great personal antagonism for both of us, regardless of what the current Avatar might be led to believe."

The spirit never failed to eventually volunteer information. Iroh was beginning to wonder if perhaps his initial assessment of this being's duties might have been more accurate than he knew. It really did seem like Koh harbored a tendency to enlighten people, although he went at it in a roundabout fashion.

The armored grotesquerie had now slipped into the features of a woman that bore a disturbing resemblance to a healer Iroh had befriended in his campaigning days. He could not determine for himself whether it was an accurate perception or just his mind playing tricks on him, for Koh turned his face away as often as not, keeping the celebrated statesman constantly wary of some new and more daunting visage being trained upon him. But somehow that lingering suspicion served to unnerve him even more than the confirmed faces of his departed loved ones. Could someone else in his past have fallen prey to the Facestealer unbeknownst to Iroh? Just how much of his life was known to this apparition?

No, no time for such fancies now! The master trickster was speaking once again.

"There was no real malice in my abduction of the Avatar's bride, you understand. I was simply reacting to prevailing opinion at the time, that being the Bridge Between the Worlds had neglected the interests of his brethren on this side of the curtain in favor of more... tangible benefits." The gentle and compassionate look that graced the middle-aged features was at severe odds with the duplicitous tone of its voice. "My fellows were understandably irked to have themselves so marginalized, especially considering the care and effort they put into maintaining a stable natural world in which humans could reside. Their earthly efforts were all too often stymied by the short-sighted interests of men, and the one spirit specifically charged with regulating such matters seemed more intent on idling away his current existence until the next one came around."

The massive carapace undulated in a mesmerizing display of power and agility. Even in its movements, Iroh suspected that Koh was attempting to lull him into a false sense of security, all the better to take advantage of his inattentiveness. Once more he steeled himself to show no emotion whatsoever, going so far as to keeping his intonations from expressing too much.

"And even you have to admit," a wicked sneer blemished that gracious countenance now, disappearing as the bloated arthropod turned to one side, "the Avatar was somewhat of a slow learner. Even discussing the matter face to face..."

He whirled about, and it was a lovely young Water Tribe woman with gentle, compassionate eyes who now regarded Iroh.

"... he seemed intent only on abusing my hospitality. And for that he deserved to be punished."

The outcast heir to the throne saw an opening then. Iroh remembered his purpose, and resolutely quashed any trace of fear or resentment.

"You realize, of course, that you made the same stupid mistake yourself? Disregarding the physical manifestation in favor of the spiritual, focusing on the Avatar's perspective without any concern for the man's. Only an idiot would have overlooked something so obvious. I have to wonder, then: when will your own just rewards come to roost for that score?" He began to move slowly about the chamber, indirectly drawing ever closer to the target.

"I'm sure you do." The Facestealer turned away again, his words dripping with rancor and venom. "But there is as little chance of that happening as there was my old comrade learning his own lesson. I sought to school him against shirking his duties, and even several incarnations later, there was no evidence of improvement! How else do you account for the scope and duration of Chin the Conqueror's campaign?"

Koh had stopped moving again, and was apparently waiting for another chance to ambush him. Iroh let it continue speaking as he came even closer.

"That particular tyrant enslaved over half of your world, and it was only when he set his sights on an unremarkable peninsula with familial attachment did Avatar Kyoshi feel impelled to intervene. I have to wonder whose banner you would be worshipping today if Chin had simply overlooked that insignificant stretch of land."

"Your excuses are infantile," the anxious plotter retorted. "A ridiculous display for someone so old and out of touch with reality. We are not here to discuss the Avatar's shortcomings, bug. It is for the thoughtless taking of my family's honor that you are to be held to account today."

The hook was baited.

Would he really…?

Between one heartbeat and the next Koh lunged, encircling Iroh within the dark brown plates of its length. The Firebender froze, body going rigid with shock.

Red-rimmed eyes sunk deep within a wrinkled skull stared furiously into his own, a wealth of wrath burning within their depths.

"Perhaps you would like to hear about that from his own lips, then?"

Iroh son of Azulon found himself confronted by the haggard face of his father's parent.

Sozin the World-Shaker.

It was a testament to the forceful personality of this crazed soul that even his successor's child, who had not even been born at the time of his foreparent's death, could not suppress a shudder of recognition at the sight of those hostile yellow eyes. As a child he had been afflicted with nightmares about the paintings showing his grandfather's cruel gaze, and just now did it dawn upon Iroh that through the years his own royal parent had slowly been afflicted with that same lethal hungry stare. The reason for this inheritance was lurking right before him, and it was only the personal realization that kept him from visibly cringing away from those daunting orbs.

But more importantly…

THIS WAS IT!

Before Koh could speak another word Iroh sprang up, hands caked with ash, and snagged hold of one of the protuberances, his other fingers closing around the jaw of Sozin's face.

His grip…

Held!

_I have him!_

Iroh's pulse was pounding, he wanted to shout and laugh and sing!

He did none of those things.

It wasn't over yet. There was still the matter of returning them both to the physical plane.

So he kept his eyes dead.

His face was stone.

And Koh…

Was laughing.

Iroh shivered involuntarily.

Even around his questing fingers, the daunting voice came forth clear and unaltered.

"Oh my poor, simple Iroh…"

And it rose up, dragging him off the ground with it.

"Is _this_ all you had in mind?"

The lid snapped shut, and then reopened, leaving Iroh nose-to-nose with a blue-nosed mandrill.

Koh's centipede body then swung violently, and its occupant found himself flung off without any effort or resistance to strike a wall and collapse face-first to the solid granite floor.

The royal family's shadow member came crawling towards him then.

"It would seem you are in need of a greater education than I had first believed."

* * *

"That is the ugliest thing I have ever seen."

Toph nodded to herself.

"Yup. Definitely uglier than the one two minutes ago."

She moved past the field of flowers, ignoring the angry stares they were giving her.

After all, she had more important matters to concentrate on.

Far above, the sun had reached a sort of zenith, cradled securely in the tangled limbs of what must surely be the most gargantuan tree she had yet to meet here. It had been slowly but surely descending until then. Now its progress was undeniably halted, as though the celestial disc was not permitted to proceed past this point. The crown of thorns which held it stood out against that dim light, like a bird of prey's talons digging into the warm flesh of a helpless dove.

Something absolutely enormous was moving far off in the distance, its impossible shape dwarfing the mountains of stone that lunged out of the mist making up this new environment. The actual impression of size was something she was still trying to fine-tune, but Toph had the much clearer sense that this looming giant was looking at her.

Almost like they were drawn to one another.

_Do you know what you're getting into, lone pup?_ It seemed to ask.

_I'll be all right, old timer_. She sent back.

It dipped its head, then continued on its way, a sound like a wolf's howl called out through the world.

Toph watched it go.

She took a step forward, and something went splash.

The resolute wanderer looked down, a task she was starting to grow more comfortable with, to find herself ankle-deep in a small pond on top of a pillar.

There was someone looking back at her, and after a few seconds, it came to Toph who it was.

"Hey, me," she whispered, fascinated.

Squatting on her heels, she gazed in awe at the image before her eyes. Those _were_ her eyes, looking up from the wavering depths, just where she thought they must be. They weren't like the falcon's, she realized as the surface began to calm. There were so many colors in them! On the outside, growing more evident as she opened them wide, and farther in too, a veritable strata of separate striations. She had never been given any inkling before as to just how much there was to a person's eyes. They certainly didn't feel so complicated in her head. Was that because they didn't work most of the time? Did everyone else have to learn how to handle those parts separately? In the middle was a disc, round as the sun but of a fair shade, similar to those in her own clothing. Like someone had mixed the two, she thought. And superimposed over each of those was another circle, ones that looked just like the Avenger's in color!

It hit her then. The name of it. It was BLACK! She remembered, in Ba Sing Se, Sokka had come down with an inexplicable fascination with poetry one evening, and took to finding words that rhymed or comparing things to one another. One of those hilariously amateurish attempts had resulted in 'Eyes of blackest night/ The eagle in flight descends/ And my topknot rends.' Toph had laughed for hours, but now…

Now she could have cried.

Because thanks to him, she could finally put a name to her confusion.

"Eye color is black," she whispered. "Against colors mixed in sky/ I begin to cry."

Her face looked funny when that happened, and there didn't appear to be any tears, but that didn't matter.

The hair on Toph's head was black too, she realized. Eyebrows and eyelashes as well. That was just too cool! Her nostrils also! And her mouth and tongue… well, no adequate comparison came to mind. But her teeth were the same color as her sclera. WHITE! Teeth were white, even she knew that, the result of servants being remonstrated for not making theirs pearly enough.

"So my eyes are white, and black, and one other color we can't name."

"Jade."

A man's voice.

Toph looked up.

There was something… black… on the edge of the pool.

Black and a color sort of like the inside of her mouth.

The eyesight amateur then tried to puzzle out what this could tell her.

After a few moments of consternation, she had it.

That was a person there, sitting with his back to her, legs crossed and palms resting on his knees.

The only visible skin was on his hands and the back of his head, which was crowned by hair just as dark as her own, but in a much smaller bun. Were she to touch that part, she suspected it would turn out to be just like the style Sokka wore. A warrior's wolf-knot, he called it.

So this was what a man looked like.

Then he moved.

His hands drew off to one side. Something else was resting on the ground, a weird smooth rock the same color as his clothes, with two pointy… horns, she supposed they were. Picking it up, he raised it over his head, and then brought it down. The stone sank into and around his hair, enveloping it completely and shielding the head from view.

A helmet, Toph realized in a flash.

As she did, the figure stood up, and turned around.

Its face was white.

No nose, ears or mouth. Just two huge round eyes, like the middle of hers, or the falcon's. Nothing else to see.

It was a mask. The helmet was a mask, serving to keep his face hidden from view.

He spoke to her once again.

"Your eyes are like soft green nephrite. Very pale, and very fine."

Cautiously, the Not-So-Blind Bandit rose to her full height. This still put her several feet below his level, but with the mask, there was no making eye contact anyway. She took a step away from him.

"You have the most enchanting eyes, in the most beautiful face I have seen in all my time here."

Toph paused, surprised.

Her featureless admirer made no further move or sound.

In the weak light of evening, the only two beings to be seen on this plane watched one another.

Eventually, upon considering his words, her sense of shock turned to embarrassment, and she fidgeted slightly. But Toph remained suspicious, and so she made no attempt to draw closer. She had not forgotten where she was, or who was supposed to live here.

"Are you Koh?"

His head turned from side to side.

"I am not the Facestealer."

"But you know who he is."

A nod. And then silence.

Toph narrowed her eyes mistrustfully. Behind this unmoving sentry, the natural tower continued to beckon her forwards. But to do so, she would have to pass within his reach. The path of stones extended through this empty sea, and there did not seem to be anything beyond its fringes, save for that swirling, flowing stuff which was not water but behaved as if it was. She found herself suspicious as to its provenance, preferring to stick to something with which she was at least partially familiar. And there was simply not enough room to get around him.

To buy herself some time, she kept talking.

"Does Koh live in that tree there?"

"Below it, actually. In the roots."

"Have you ever seen him?"

Her solitary companion nodded again.

"Is he really that scary?"

Hesitation.

Then, "Yes."

The slip of a girl crossed her arms over her chest. "Then why are you here?"

"Because I do not know how to leave."

Something about the way he said it made Toph pity this person. She did not try to keep the sympathy from her voice. "Are you lost? Is that it?"

The helmet turned back and forth. "No. I am dead."

He did not move, and he did not speak.

But suddenly the child found herself very afraid.

She remembered that she was trapped in this distressing place, away from everything she understood, and the daunting alienation of it all rose to a fever pitch within her.

"Can you… can you tell me how to get home?"

_Stupid!_ Didn't you hear him say he's lost here?! Of course he'll tell you…!

"…yes."

Huh?

"Really?"

Another nod.

"How?"

The stranger raised an arm, and pointed to the top of the blighted spire behind him, where the sun still languished in seeming captivity. "You go there."

Then he turned away.

"Follow me. I'll show you."

"Umm…" Toph stalled, brain working furiously now. "No thanks, I really just need to know _how_ to get back, for when I decide to. So if you could just tell me, then…"

"I have to show you. It's necessary." And he began jumping from one pillar to the next.

She didn't have to follow him. Toph knew that.

But she also didn't really like being alone, especially in this seemingly desolate locale. And the last time someone offered her help it had turned out all right. Right?

What's the worst that could happen?

"Hey! Wait up!"

It was necessary to run to catch up with him, but after reaching the great promontory in question, they took an undemanding pace. Toph glanced up at her guide, but his face was still concealed behind the white mask.

Maybe a little more information-sharing was in order.

"I'm not dead. At least, I don't think so. But I am an Earthbender, so this place is still kind of funny for me."

The masked man didn't respond. Could it be because there hadn't been a question?

Well, she had one for him.

"Say, did an old guy with a bald head and a beard come this way a little before me?"

The next two steps she found herself taking alone. Toph glanced back anxiously. He had stopped walking, and was just… standing there.

"Yes."

The voice was very faint.

"A man… did come by before you."

She raised an eyebrow, head cocked at an angle.

"Did you talk to him?"

Silence.

The helmet shook slowly from side to side.

"I couldn't."

It almost sounded like a sob.

"I… couldn't do it. Not again… it was too much. I tried, but… it was too hard… to see clearly. I… didn't know where to go."

He looked to be shaking.

Toph still didn't fully trust this person. But somehow, she could tell that this was not an act.

And at heart, she was a deeply caring person.

The little Earthbender stepped forward and took his hand in hers.

Her faceless attendant looked down wordlessly, black hole eyes revealing nothing.

She stared into those pits without fear, only compassion.

"You don't have to do this," she said. "I can find my own way, if you're scared."

The mask held no trace of emotion.

It simply gave a sigh.

"Thank you, but I can go on. There's really nothing left to be afraid of anymore."

He started walking again, and Toph kept up.

"Not even Koh?"

He didn't hesitate this time. "No."

Their palms were still clasped, but she could feel nothing there. "Because of your mask? Is that why you wear it, so he can't get you?"

The object in question shook again. "No. That is not why I wear this. The Facestealer can take nothing from me now."

"Oh." They trudged along for another minute. "Sooo, then why do you…?"

"Because I do not want to hear any more screams."

"…Uh-huh."

Apparently this line of conversation was over, because neither of them continued it. The way upon which they walked was leading up to a cave in the base of the enormous tree. A palpable aura of dread was seeping out of that crack, bringing the impression of whispering horrors that dwelled just outside the bounds of the known, waiting to seize upon those foolish enough to leave the safety of their brightly-lit homes and drag them into screaming reaches of pain and emptiness.

Just as she was starting to get a sinking feeling in her heart, the other's hand drew her away from that place. Toph peered at the dark wayfarer uncertainly.

"We're not going inside?"

"No. That way leads down, to the heart of Koh's realm. You do not want to be seen there, believe me."

"Then what are we going to…?"

"Climb."

They were travelling now around the roots of the juggernaut. Casting her gaze heavenwards, Toph found she could no longer see the crown of this living mountain.

"You're kidding."

He stopped, and looked down at her. "It won't take too long. I will carry you on my back, so that you can be certain of reaching the top."

The forlorn fighter judged his form carefully, and then once more studied their obstacle. Well, he seemed to be in good shape. For a spirit, that is. And climbing something she couldn't feel was not exactly sounding like a bright idea.

"You're certain you can get us both up there?"

"Positive." And he sounded like it too.

Toph remained unconvinced.

"I'll have to go down into the cave eventually, okay? I'm here to help my friend, and he could be fighting Koh right now for all I know. You're sure this won't take long?"

"Only a few minutes," he spoke reassuringly. "It's not like what you might know in the physical world. All it takes is knowing where you are going."

Still unconvinced.

There was something she wasn't getting here. Toph could feel it. She needed something to rely on.

"Tell me your name."

He flinched.

She saw it.

"Bye."

And she walked away.

After a few steps…

"I can't remember."

Her head turned back about.

"Then what _do_ you remember?"

The expressionless visor was now staring at the dirt.

"I… remember a little girl. Like you."

Those empty holes came back up to meet her shining gemstone orbs.

"And she liked to call me… Lu-Lu."

Toph absorbed this information.

"Okay, then. Lu-Lu. My name's Toph."

"Toph." He repeated it quietly.

The girl came back to join him. "So shall we go?"

At this, Lu-Lu knelt down, presenting his back to her. Crossing over, Toph draped her arms around his neck, digging her knees into his sides for support even though there was no registering of the effort. Still, she didn't feel as though she were sliding off, or even like it was an effort to hold onto him.

"Ready?" Lu-Lu asked.

Toph rapped his faceplate gently. "Mush."

So he began to climb.

* * *

Iroh stretched out incapacitated on the floor.

He felt no pain. That was not what proved to be his undoing.

It was remorse.

And shame.

He had failed those children once again.

Facedown in the dirt, their humbled martyr could hear the metameric nightmare coming for him. But he could not even bring himself to look. There just wasn't any point to this affair now.

As if to drive that home, Koh laughed, a wicked, mocking jeer.

"It's like speaking to a toddler. You don't listen to anyone, and you think that what you know is all there is to know. Believe me, Iroh, there is more to me than just what you can pick up in stories and books. Some things go beyond human reason. That's partly why you people have been such a burden to us spirit folk. It's nearly impossible to get you to listen to anything that doesn't make sense, even though the universe clearly does not operate on that factor."

The sound of its pattering footfalls came closer to where he lay.

"I will tell you this," that mellifluous, sinful song rumbled enticingly, "You had the right idea, up to a point. The Avatar was aware of a means by which unbound spirits like myself could be convinced to enter the world of death. Your mistake was in assuming that the dead would serve the same purpose as the living."

Its approach came to a halt. Iroh could not bring himself to look up. He kept his face blank only out of instinctive self-preservation now.

"Were you really that desperate to avoid seeing me again, that you would take this untested course? Or perhaps…"

Koh's mouth came right to his ear.

"Could you just not bring yourself to spill your brother's blood, even to save him?"

That last one was the truth. And they both knew it.

Iroh had fervently tried to convince himself that this might work. He was a talented scholar, and a brilliant strategist. The evidence indicated that a spiritual connection would serve to anchor a physical one, enabling him to both entrap and embattle the evil demigod. But to follow those instructions to the letter meant risking Ozai's life.

His little brother's blood on his hands…

No. Never. He couldn't bear to risk another family member for his own precious wisdom, it having already been proven faulty.

This way seemed to offer a chance that no one would get hurt.

Especially himself.

He had taken the easy way out, and failed because of it.

He was nothing now.

"But really, how could you expect this tiresome trick to bear fruit? You seem to have ignored one crucial fact: an Avatar already tried this, and it obviously didn't work. I am still here. Were you so desperate to avenge your family honor that you chose not to consider what that might mean?"

I did, actually, Iroh thought. But I told myself it was worth my life to try _something_.

"Clearly you were deceiving yourself, Iroh."

Clearly. Clearly, yes.

"But don't torture yourself over it," Koh purred maliciously. "I'm willing to overlook this trifling escapade. In fact, it's been quite entertaining, playing with you for a time. And as I said before, I did have high hopes of what we might accomplish together. You just need to dispense with some of those more cumbersome self-deceptions humans tend to struggle under."

That made sense. Obviously there was something deficient in his character and faculties if this was the best he was capable of achieving.

"You can think of it as a family reunion. They're all here with me, you know. All the most important parts of them, at least. And this way you fulfill your quest, in a manner of speaking. After the Avatar is obliterated, there will no longer be any need for me to show an interest in your royal pedigree. The next generation of Firelord will be free to run their new empire as they see fit. We can watch it from here, if you like. I can have your brother step down, and he'll act as an intermediary, allowing us to see everything that transpires under the order of the Children of Fire."

Why not, his reason told him? Couldn't stop it anyway. Why not surrender now?

"It's really for the best. High time the world experienced something new, don't you think? The Avatar has had his way long enough. Let the humans see what they can do by themselves for a change. I'm not above giving them free reign. Who knows, they might even surprise us both."

I believe in mankind's capacity to improve itself. That's true.

"So why don't we get on with it, then."

It can't be helped.

"Iroh."

Me. My name. Mine.

"Look at me."

He had to think for a bit, just to remember how.

In that time, he dimly recognized the sound of Koh's eye-pod shutting and opening.

I wonder what it will be now?

Iroh felt curious.

And beaten.

The old man turned his head wearily.

Koh gave a satisfied chuckle.

"That's my boy."

Iroh opened his eyes, to find his son Lu Ten's mangled, one-eyed face smiling back at him.

_To be continued…_


	5. Face the Truth

In a lonely recess tucked deep within the northern mountains, the earth had grown cold.

Dark clouds blocked out the sun. Without it there was no warmth or life to be found in that silent canyon.

Save for that which came from the body of a twelve-year old girl.

She stood unmoving, eyes staring blindly ahead of her. A wreath of fragrant vapors hung about her head, redolent with scents and power. The source of that smoke was a smoldering lump of amber that lay a few feet away.

And beneath her feet, the ghosts whispered anxiously amongst themselves.

_Where are you going?_

_Please._

_Come back._

_Don't leave us._

_Our child._

_Stay here with us._

_It's so dark._

_We cannot leave._

_You have to stay._

_We'll protect you._

_Always._

They reached up blindly from their ancient graves, seeking to catch her attention, trying to let her know that they were with her. The spirit they found was strong, but distant. With it now was a sense of loss, and somehow, familiarity. Like the place she had gone to was where they could have been, had they not been caged by darkness and evil. Her body was still rooted in the rock to an extent that even they could not remember achieving. That was how they knew they could speak to her. The presence of this earthly empath had served to waken them from their slumber, and now they clung desperately to her presence, driven by an impulse to protect the innocent that was their last living memory. A flame of life was all they needed to remember.

And swirling through the mists that drugged her, the spirits of those they had died protecting moaned with grief and rage.

* * *

Iroh opened his eyes.

To find no one was there.

Stupefied, the old man lay where he had fallen, unable to believe it.

He reached up tentatively, almost too afraid to find out for sure. His fingers touched something. A nose. His own. He blinked, and realized then that he still had eyes.

Why?

Koh hadn't taken his face?

Well, maybe not the face of his body. But then, that never went away. Perhaps he had lost his soul's face, after all. How could you tell, really? He didn't feel any different, but maybe that was due to…

What?

What had happened?

"Lu Ten," he whispered, blinking away the tears.

He had seen it. His son's face, on the demon's body. And when he did…

Nothing.

He had… passed out.

It hit him then. He lost consciousness, before the horror could truly sink in and leave him screaming with wrath and desolation. The shock had been more than his body could handle. This old, tired form which he had been inexplicably encumbered with in the Spectral Realm had actually served to unwittingly protect him from…

Koh.

The Facestealer.

"You took… Lu Ten."

Iroh launched himself up off the cavern floor, and howled.

"_KOOOOH_!!!!"

"He is not here, Iroh."

The berserker spun about, and saw two figures flanking him.

They had no faces.

But he still recognized them.

Standing before him in funereal black and red robes were his father Azulon and grandfather Sozin. Upon realizing this, the brief flash of mad anger was subsumed by dismayed horror.

"Father," the dumbstruck son choked out.

An aged hand flicked in a dismissive gesture, as if avoiding confirmation of the statement.

"You have disturbed Koh's sense of fair play, and so he is done with you. He wishes us to tell you that in order to atone for this unworthy act, the only emotion from you that will satisfy him is true grief."

It was Azulon's voice, without a doubt. No lips to shape them, but it seemed that presented no obstacle to the dead.

Iroh took a tentative step forward, and reached pleading fingers towards his ancestors.

They both drew away from him.

"You will find no comfort here, Iroh," Sozin spoke. His words came out hoarse, bitter. The frame that produced them was bent and shriveled, entirely unlike the majestic tapestries that had housed his image in the days of Iroh's youth.

This time, there could be no thought of reservation. On the living man's face there now hung a look of unfettered shock and hurt.

"But…" the rejected penitent felt a lump forming in his throat, "I am your son… your grandson! Whatever Koh might have taken from you, nothing will ever change that! We are bound by more than just names, it is in our blood!"

"What Koh 'took' from us?" Azulon spit, and began to stride regally about the barren hovel. "I see nothing has changed with you, Iroh. You still think yourself superior to all those around you. That was your greatest failing as a warrior. You come before us, retaining your face only because of a lack of imagination, and then think to cast aspersions on the one who allowed you to keep that visage. It is a feeble charge you lever, my son."

"No!" his former heir threw back, spinning to keep the stately spirit in view. "Do not try to turn this back upon me! I know whose words you truly speak, and why! Our family has been ruined because of this beast, and I will not permit you to disparage myself or the ones I love…" He gazed murderously into those blank features, his own twisted by anger. "…KOH!"

At his back, Sozin gave a disgusted scoff.

"Another thoughtless firebrand, just like his father. I'm impressed you allowed this mewling babe to live past infancy, Azulon."

The shrug his dead son gave back held little interest in the insult. "He was a puzzle to me, I'll grant you. But never a disappointment." Azulon stopped and drew himself to his full height. "Until now."

Against his own better judgment, Iroh quailed before his parent's stern rebuke. In life the Firelord had always seemed a towering figure of awesome power and dignity, capable of subduing any man no matter their talents or ambitions. It would appear that death had not robbed Azulon of that grandeur.

"Do you really think to lay all the ills of our family at Koh's feet?" Azulon continued. "Can you find no trace of blame in your own actions, or mine, or even your brother's?!"

"I do not believe this." The flustered face Iroh wore now would have permanently cost him any further self-expression only a few moments past. Or longer, there was no way of telling how long he had lain here insensate. "You are only parroting what he allows you to feel. This is not the truth, and you know it! You are…"

He hesitated, thinking.

"You are only trying to keep me here."

His eyes roamed the confines of the spirit's lair. And one thing was noticeably evident for its absence.

"Where has the Facestealer gone to?"

In response, Sozin and Azulon began to laugh.

"Listen to yourself!" The World-Shaker rasped. "Braying about the truth like a penniless student, or a jaded poet! Is this what our line has devolved into?"

"Oh my son," the younger ancient chortled, "You must be truly blessed to have survived this long with such towering self-delusions." And he took a few steps closer to his offspring. Faced with that smooth pane of skin, it was all Iroh could do not to recoil in revulsion.

" 'Facestealer' is only one of the honorifics bequeathed unto Koh. Shall we enlighten you as to his true titles?"

They had him in a cross-fire now. The mortal turned and drew back, trying to keep both of the dead men in his line of sight.

The former Firelords both spoke together then.

"_Koh!_ The Slayer of Deceit! Breaker of the Cocoon of Lies! He Who Moves Through Shadow and Light, to Better Understand the Same! Living Mask of Untold Truths! The Firm Parent! Lifter of Ignorance's Veil! _KOH OF THE HONEST FACE!_"

The last was given in a thunderous declaration, and Iroh flinched away from it.

A pair of unblemished masks moved to stand before him in stern rebuttal.

"Koh…" Sozin began.

"The Stealer of False Faces," Azulon finished.

They watched him without expression then. And Iroh did the same.

"It can't be," the Firebender mumbled, blinking back tears. "No matter what words you use, I will not accept…"

"No, you won't." From Azulon. "And that is the point."

"You think Koh is evil." Sozin shook his faceless head. "You tell yourself that everything which happened in our pasts is the result of his interference, and therefore we are not to blame. 'Pure as fire,' is that not the expression, boy? Well, fire burns, doesn't it? It is greedy and heedless of the destruction it causes. Sound like anyone you know, oh great scholar?"

Iroh could almost see the old man's lost eyes glaring at him from that unblemished countenance. "You…but… you were possessed. He stole your spirit, and twisted your thoughts to suit his needs in order for you to make war on the Avatar in his stead!"

"When?!" the decrepit soul spit. "After Roku died? When I was nearly ninety years old?! What did you think that business with the colonies over four decades before that was, eh? Youthful ardor? A game of Pai Sho between nations? It was war, boy! A game of conquest that I started, and the Avatar ended! I had never even heard of Koh before then, much less met him! How do you explain that?!"

"I don't…can't. But still, it wasn't for the same reasons, or to the extent that came afterwards. It wasn't… _it wasn't a massacre!_"

"A massacre," Azulon repeated, lifting his chin up. "You mean like the one I participated in, my son? When I lead our forces on the raids of the last two Airbender temples, and slaughtered all the inhabitants? I burned those cities, Iroh. I took the lives of men in battle, and women clutching their newborn babes to their chests. With pride! The face they cursed was Azulon's, not Koh's. I didn't relinquish that for nearly twenty years, when I took up the crown and breathed in the Conqueror's Soul, just like you did to get here. And you have the gall to stand there and imply that it was not my choice to make?!"

"_IT WASN'T!_" Iroh screamed. "You were led astray by what you thought was your father, just as I was with you! It took losing my own son, and listening to him afterwards, for me to finally accept the truth!"

Azulon's gray-haired head cocked to one side. "After the forest burns, men struggle to understand the violence of it all, stating that it is just the way of the world, and new life will spring from the ashes. They rationalize it. They tell themselves it was necessary. They tell themselves it was natural. They tell themselves…"

"Lies!" His parent raised a palsied fist. "Whenever it suits them! They deceive themselves in order to hide from the pain of the world! And in doing so, they lay the groundwork for even more pain to follow, hampered by their inability to cope, blinded by fear of what it all might mean! The reason people so readily swallow the lies of others is because they are already used to the taste, and secretly desire more!"

"_That's not the truth!_" their opponent shouted back.

"Is that what you think?" Azulon's tone was full of contempt and admonition. "Then perhaps you also think it was for the best that Ozai let me be murdered, and stole your birthright."

Iroh froze.

"He, at least, could be counted on to protect his own children. Which is more than I can say for you, Iroh!"

"N…no…I…I d-didn't…" the youngest debater stammered.

"Didn't what?!" his grandparent snarled. "Didn't _know_?! Oh, spare me your half-hearted fumbling away from the truth! I was dead, and even I saw it for what it was!"

Their scion rallied then, drawing upon his reason in the face of that chilling statement. "Ozai would not have harmed our father. His ambitions never excused injuring his family. Not before Koh began to exert an influence on him!"

"Did I say he did the deed himself?" It sounded like Azulon was wrinkling his nose at Iroh, even though that was clearly not the case. "No, in that you speak the truth. Or at least part of it. Rather, it was his wife Ursa who entered my throne room on that fateful night."

Disbelief caused Iroh's jaw to drop. "No… not Ursa! She… she was never a danger to anyone, not once in her entire life! That woman was the gentlest, most loving example of a human being I have ever known!"

"Yes. Very loving. Of her son Zuko, whose death I had ordered. And very gentle, when she knelt at my side, after asking for permission to whisper a terrible secret in my ear, and instead slid one of her hairpins into my brain! It was knowledge of my own paranoia and contempt for Ursa's lack of Firebending that caused me to believe her when she spoke of a plot so heinous she dare not speak it out loud, lest the very walls carry it to the wrong ears. But she proved more fluent in deceit than I expected, and more dangerous with fire too. When I died my body pitched head-first into the burning moat around my throne. The flames destroyed all trace of her foul deed. It appeared to those who found me as if I had expired of natural causes and fallen forward into the conflagration."

"Even Koh was taken aback by that," Sozin harrumphed, pointing two long-nailed fingers at his face. "I couldn't believe what Azulon's eyes showed me, either. It was only after you returned and Ozai came to join us here that we were told the rest. How his wife went to their bed that night and confessed what she had done. And Ozai made certain to appear horrified by her tale. He grieved, yes, but inwardly he rejoiced at not having to lose his spineless brat of an heir."

"But there had to be some manner of reprisal. And so the ambitious little serpent told his mate that she would have to flee from the palace, so as to escape his brother's wrath when he returned. _You_, Iroh! You were a part of this and never even knew it! In her state of shock at committing murder, Ozai convinced Ursa that her continued presence at the palace would serve to strengthen any rumors of foul play. Her connection to the old Avatar was not lost upon the nobles. The pair had always suffered politically for that bit of genealogy. Their children might endure reprisals as a result, he said. And so, to best prevent any such tragedy from taking place, she would have to banish herself forever, and he, Ozai, would assume the mantle of rule, thanks to a forged letter bearing the Firelord's mark that he just happened to have handy. All to protect their family."

Azulon folded his arms before him. "And that, my son, is the truth of how your brother won your title."

For a time after this, no more words were spoken in that cavern.

The only sound came from when Iroh's knees gave out beneath him, and he crumpled with a groan.

The horrified elder covered his face, and whimpered.

"Ozai…"

"Your brother," the unseen mouth of Sozin spoke.

"My son," his virtual twin echoed.

"A patricide!" they both spoke together.

For the second time, Iroh collapsed full-length to the rough floor. There was a greater sense of physical reaction. His head was spinning, and there were flashes of light dancing before his eyes. He felt his gorge rising, and for a time he thought that he might heave up his stomach all over the spirit's environs. Possible preludes to his imminent departure from this dimension.

That did not happen. In the reasserting of his bodily control that followed afterwards, one thing did impress itself upon Iroh.

The sound of dwindling voices.

"Koh did not make us who we were. He only revealed to us parts of ourselves we would have kept hidden otherwise."

"Thanks to him, we were completely aware of what we truly desired. There were no ties holding us back from becoming what we intended to be."

"It's time for you to look inward, and start asking yourself the big questions…"

"Who are you?"

"What actions did you ever take that were not motivated by disregard for your own feelings?"

"How many things did you have to force yourself to do in this life, rather than admit to anyone, let alone you, that it was not what you wanted?"

"What man would you have been, Iroh, if you did not consent to squeeze into someone else's mold?"

"What would you have done, if you were completely honest with yourself?"

"Who else would you have killed, were you not so afraid of being hated for it?"

"Whom would you have loved, had you not denied yourself the chance?"

"What do you want?"

"And whom…?"

The last question was faint, like a whisper in the ether.

"…do you want it from?"

Were Iroh to have looked up then, he would have found himself completely alone.

There were no more words spoken.

Except…

For one.

A noise so small, it almost didn't impress itself upon him.

But the voice that spoke it was very real.

And it said…

"Iroh!"

The tear-filled golden eyes snapped open.

"Toph?!" he spoke disbelievingly.

And suddenly one question was answered for him.

He knew where Koh had gone.

* * *

Scaling the side of the leafless tree proved to be a simple matter. There was not an impression of distance. Were Toph to close her eyes, she wouldn't even register anything happening at all. But then she would have felt even more helpless than she already did.

And besides, the view was really amazing.

Toph could see all the way to the horizon. Or what she assumed to be the horizon. Hard to say, if you've been completely blind up until that point. But it was huge. She was used to things spreading out around her in a fairly level expanse. The idea that there was something as vast as the earth but hanging right above it, like a reflection in a mirror, caused her to feel like she had checked her sense of reality at the door.

At the same time, though, there was a soothing confirmation. Like she had been given definite proof that the world still held wondrous surprises for her.

The elevated Earthbender remained absorbed in this grandiose drama laid out around them until they reached the end of their journey.

Lu-Lu had crested the rise of this seeming world tree. As promised, the climb had not taken much time at all. Perhaps it had only appeared so daunting to her, seeing as how she was not used to judging relative height using just her eyes. When he finally drew to a halt, her armored carrier knelt once more, allowing the dangling hanger-on to reclaim her own footing.

Along with her momentarily forgotten sense of shock.

"Whoo-boy."

The top of the dead tree was festooned with great twisted branches, reaching up all around them like the claws of a deranged beast. There was something telling in their wild contortions, as though they could speak to those who might care to listen. Bent, and asymmetrical, and…

"Deprived," Lu-Lu spoke.

"Say again?" Toph moved a little closer to him, disliking this place more with every passing moment.

"This tree has been deprived of something basic. It wasn't meant to be like this. Can you see how unhealthy it is?"

His erstwhile charge craned her head around cautiously.

"Well, yeah, now that you mention it, it does kind of remind me of flowers that don't get enough water. I mean, at least in the way it seems so… shriveled, I guess is the word." She glanced up at him. "Right?"

The unresponsive white mask nodded. "It was never meant to grow this large. Once before, it bore fruit, along with its parents. You might have seen their resting places to either side of this island."

Toph's head turned about. Beyond the sweeping collection of desiccated limbs, she could indeed pick out two other spires flanking this one. But they seemed to be made up mostly of stone.

"So what happened?"

Lu-Lu held out a hand then, like he wanted to guide her. Or perhaps he needed comfort. Whatever the case, she slipped her tiny fingers into his own. At this, they began to step gingerly over the uneven crown of their support.

"One tree had its fruit eaten, and was cursed to lose all purpose for allowing this. The other was denied from the beginning to share its crop, and when it objected to such an arbitrary decision, it was condemned to suffer death. A cruel joke, considering what those globes could offer to any who tasted them. Before it expired, the two trees communicated their desires, and from their agreement they shared a design. With the help of a small honeybee, one pollinated the other, and in the soil there fell and sprouted their child. This Tree, which we have climbed."

Lu-Lu jumped down from a fairly high knoll. He reached back up and lifted Toph down off it. She could have protested, but decided not to press the issue. There was no harm. When they were both settled he continued.

"The newborn began to grow. After a while, it had its own fruit. Their provenance was to grant truth to any mortal who tasted them. But no one ever came. Eventually, the unwanted rotting fruit fell to earth, and began to decay into the soil. The ground became cursed. It poisoned the Tree. Down below the base, something had taken shape. A spirit. One of the oldest, born before the beginning, but lacking in duty or form. When it saw how that Tree had been denied, it became angered, and felt driven for the very first time. The spirit entered into where those neglected orbs of truth collapsed. And from the toxic soil beneath the roots, it fashioned itself a body and a purpose."

Toph was staring around her, paying attention to their environment while absorbing what Lu-Lu told her. For someone who confessed to not even remembering his own name, he seemed surprisingly well-informed. But she didn't let that thought bother her. Any more than she did the idea that he was leading her somewhere.

Honest people tended to treat others as though they were honest. It was just that simple.

"Out of discarded truth there arose the being now calling itself Koh."

"Huh?!" Toph's head snapped up, astonishment written all over her face. "THAT'S how Koh was born?"

"Yes," her tall companion breathed. "Why, don't you believe me?"

"It's not that!" she hastily strove to express herself. "I'm sorry, I thought you were just, y'know, talking about stuff. To pass the time. I didn't think you would really know anything about how this place happened, or why it's here."

"But I am here." His voice sounded sad, but somehow, a little teasing. "Why wouldn't I have picked up some useful bits of information?"

He looked down at her, and she stared right back.

"I guess you would have."

They continued for a time like this.

"Lu-Lu?"

"Yes?"

"How long have you been…?"

She hesitated at saying the word.

"What?"

"You know…uhh… dead?"

The horned helm turned away from her again.

"Since after you were born. That much I know."

"Oh." Toph considered. "So it hasn't been that long, then."

His shoulders hunched.

"Not as long as most. But long enough, from my perspective."

She had hurt him. That was obvious, even without a face or real body to tell her so. And Toph felt ashamed.

"I shouldn't have said that. It was stupid of me. I just wasn't thinking. I'm sor…"

He held up a hand suddenly.

"Don't apologize to me. Please. Apologies never solve anything, and you are in no way at fault for my being here. You were just being honest, and that is no true fault, no matter what people might tell you. If your true words cause a person pain, then it's because they are hiding from something they don't want to confront. And the truth should never be denied." He kicked aimlessly at a protruding limb. "This is the result."

The normally opinionated girl pondered this logic.

"Okay. I'll buy that. So then, can you tell me anything more about Koh?"

Lu-Lu turned around a particularly gnarled branch, leading them ever further towards the center of this plateau. "The body he took was to reflect on those things that men keep buried, locked in their hearts. Like a great insect, burrowing through the loam of discarded truths, ferreting them all out. The more Koh worked to uncover these secrets to men's eyes, the more disgusted he became at the enormity of their deceptions. All the varied masks people use to hide themselves from the world, out of fear or self-interest. To challenge these unwanted cover-ups, he took the title of Stealer of False Faces, and began to live up to its implications."

Toph snorted. "That name's a lot more grand than the one I heard for him."

She noticed something then, off in the distance. Or close, she still wasn't quite sure how to accurately judge these things.

"I know. Facestealer. That's how many refer to him these days. They all fear Koh now. And with good cause, I suppose. After eons of devotion to his duties, Koh began to feel his task was being neglected and marginalized by others. Not just humans, but the other spirits. It comes as no surprise then that he began to lash out at those around him. He became convinced that no one could see the truth as he could. After that, no face was safe from him. And so Koh began to gain enemies, and an evil reputation. Even the Tree under which he lived grew loathe of him. The Thief of Lies' rancor is so great that it has exacerbated the decay of its home. There is no hope of it healing itself so long as he remains below, and so the Tree began to grow ever higher, in an attempt to escape from his presence. It's been like this for a very long time, seeking some means or person to end their relationship. No one could do anything for it, though. Not here, in the Spirit Realm. And that's why this is the way for you to get back."

Another few steps, and they entered a sort of clearing. Toph looked around. If her perceptions were correct, they were at the very center of the Tree. Before them now was a great pit in the black bark. It almost looked like the core of the plant had rotted out and collapsed into a sinkhole. From it came a low, almost imperceptible sound deep down in this chasm. When she concentrated on it, the living soul could make out no real words. There was a sense, however. Of weariness. And despair.

While she was peering into those lightless depths, Lu-Lu spoke.

"You're looking the wrong way, Toph."

She turned her head up. "What?"

And gave a yelp of surprise.

Above them was the sun.

It wasn't the far-off thumbnail size she had become accustomed to. Right over them there loomed a shape so big she couldn't perceive it all. Her sense of vision was not up to this daunting challenge, and not for the first time, Toph desperately missed her Earthsight. It certainly hadn't seemed this large when viewed from the base. While being vast in scope, the mighty vessel remained unremarkable in brilliance. It was the same uniform drained hue as before. The girl wondered, if she could just put a name to the sun's color, perhaps that would serve to reignite its purportedly fierce radiance. That might be something to see.

Before she could consider asking her visually-experienced fellow to enlighten her, he was talking again.

"The top of the Tree reaches out to the world of the living, in the hopes that some might come across to alleviate its suffering. It anchors the sun to the earth, and in this way, the spirit to the flesh. Heavenly to earthly. The source of life to its expression. If you climb up there, and pass through the sun, you'll find yourself back among the living."

Toph shook her head, then lowered her gaze once more. The sheer level of size made it hard for her to comprehend. She felt the same way as when she was trying to accept the horizon.

"Okay. That's all I needed to know."

So. This was the way home.

_Why not take it, then?_

_Go on. Get out of this crazy world. There's no real point in you being here, right? Just save yourself!_

An uncomfortable, selfish thought.

She brushed it aside.

"Do you want to leave this world now, Toph?"

Almost like he could read her mind.

She shook her head in denial.

"No. That's not why I'm here, remember? I appreciate you bringing me this far. But now I really need to go down to where Koh and Iroh are waiting. So if you could just…"

At that moment a pair of arms came around her waist, lifting Toph off the ground.

"HEY!" she bellowed, struggling frantically. To no avail. She could not get loose. There was nothing holding the girl that she could tell, but somehow without her understanding it, her spirit had become caged.

Lu-Lu drew her up, and began to walk forwards.

A particularly large tree limb had grown out over the pit, reaching towards the sun. The pair of them began to ascend along its length in that direction.

"LU-LU!" The helpless geopath shouted and squirmed to no avail. "What are you doing?! I don't want to go back yet, I told you, I have to help my friend! He needs me!"

"No."

The voice of her trusted guide had lost any lingering trace of goodwill.

"There is nothing you can do for him. Iroh is already lost. There are none who challenge the will of Koh and endure. You shouldn't waste your time trying to help someone who cannot help himself."

Toph continued to struggle, but managed only to turn herself about so that she was facing his chest. Lu-Lu's grip remained unchanged, preventing her from escaping despite her best efforts.

"What are you saying?! I thought you were my friend!"

He gave no response.

Silent dismissal. Forced consent. Handling her like she was a fragile helpless blossom.

All the things Toph hated the most.

Anger blossomed in the flower's heart.

"YOU LIED TO ME!"

She wrenched one arm up, and smashed it into the mask of a skull.

The helmet flew off his head.

Lu-Lu continued walking as if he hadn't noticed.

His face gave no sign of perturbance.

Because he had none.

Just a blank, unmarred stretch of skin.

Toph's jade-green eyes went wide with horror.

And from that uninterrupted nothingness, there came a voice.

"I never lied to you, Toph."

It turned down to look at her, and the frightened child quailed in the face of terror.

"I can't lie, anymore than Koh can. He is obligated to tell the truth when asked, no matter who he speaks to. But he can decide for himself how to go about it. And when I told you I had nothing more to fear from him, that was the truth. Because he had already taken everything from me."

They were now halfway over the gaping hole. Toph's struggles had stilled. Instead she gazed mesmerized into the featureless expanse.

When next the specter spoke, there was a trace of sadness in its voice.

"I thought I could challenge him, you know. After the last time I spoke to Iroh, I felt I should try, so that he wouldn't have to. How could he steal my face, when I barely had one anymore? It seemed clever at the time. But not so much when he was taking whatever mangled bits were clinging to my head. I didn't know the rules. Just like you didn't, when you told me your real name. You should never do that here. It gives spirits power over you. That's how I can hold you now, by your name."

His soul appeared to be shaking, although she could not verify it.

"After that, I just waited around here. Because he wanted me to. I have to do what Koh says, forever. No matter my wishes on the subject. I know the truth about myself now, but I can't act upon it. I just wanted you to understand that, Toph. If I could, I would do anything to keep you from feeling fear. Even if it meant sending you back to your body, and never seeing you again."

He drew to a halt near the tip of the branch.

"But I'm not allowed to do that."

The faceless spirit lifted her out to hang over the gorge, then.

His tiny prisoner wore an expression of hurt, confusion, and sadness. Like she couldn't believe he would do something like this.

And he knew there should have been tears in her eyes, were she only able to do so.

The most luminous, soft green eyes he had ever known.

He lowered his empty head then, so as not to look at them.

"If you see my father before I do, tell him we will be together soon."

It came to her then.

"Lu… Lu Ten?" she whispered.

And the dead prince sighed.

"Yes. THAT is my name. Thank you."

He then let her go.

Toph fell into darkness with a cry.

After a few seconds of implausible descent, she came to a halt.

Her eyes had closed involuntarily at some point. The lost child knew she would have to open them. Fear held her back. Of what she might see, and what it might do to her. If she obeyed that unfounded instinct, though, Toph knew it would keep her down for good. Being scared of what you can't see was always worse than the real thing. The champion combatant knew that. And she also knew that you could choose to be either brave or fearful. Feeling one didn't preclude the other, just gave it more heft in your decision. The way you selected between them was by what action you took.

And in the Blind Bandit's experience, fear might save your life, but it never won you any prizes.

The veteran brawler opened her eyes and looked around.

She was hanging in a bunch of long straight branches of some kind that crisscrossed over one another. Only they seemed to be white, and furthermore they played small tricks with the light. There were bright spots in them that disappeared and reappeared depending on what angle she looked at them. Light. It was still here, in the darkness. Looking up, Toph could make out a small glowing disc far in the top of this room. That must be the sun, shining in from where she fell. From where Lu Ten had…

Lu Ten.

"Iroh's son!" she whispered incredulously.

That's when she realized something.

The girl looked down, between the spaces in the nest of odd branches.

Below her there was nothing but more darkness. For all she knew, this hole reached all the way down to the bottom.

Should I jump, she wondered? I'm a spirit, right? Spirits can't be hurt in a fall, they don't even have any bones to break!

But is that even the way I want to go?

She glanced around a bit. At the edge of this collection of strands, there seemed to be openings in the surface of the wood, leading farther out of the tree. Maybe they went back outside.

Well, perhaps some testing was in order.

Toph then peered once more into the empty gloom below her.

Maybe I shouldn't. What if something else comes after me? After all, Iroh isn't the only person in this hulk, is he?

There's that pesky fear again.

Shoo, fear!

So then, Toph shouted as loud as she could into the darkness.

"IROH!"

* * *

There was no answer to his call. But it couldn't be. It just couldn't be true!

How could Toph be in the Spirit Realm?! He had warned her not to come too close! She was careful, and clever, what could have…?!

Then he went cold.

His real, human body shivered in dread.

It hadn't even occurred to Iroh just what his coming here fully might have meant in the other world. And the one thing that didn't make the trip with him was the Conqueror's Soul! If he vanished, Toph must have tried to look for him, and accidentally inhaled the burning incense while she did. But was she here like him, or only in spirit? No, it didn't matter one way or the other. The danger to her was still very real. Why did she follow him, she should have known not to, she should have known…

Iroh stopped.

A horrible thought occurred to him.

His heart began to sound so loud in his ears, and in spite of that the old mystic began to think very, very hard.

He had spoken so much to her before this, telling Toph about his family and why he suspected the spirit's involvement in the war and its reasons for possibly having done so and what he intended to do when he got here, but…

Had he ever told her?

Had he ever actually told her _how _Koh stole someone's face?

Think, damn you! _Did you ever tell Toph that she should not show any emotion to Koh?!_

_Why would I_, his reason retorted? _She wasn't coming here, and once they were all in the physical world Koh wouldn't be able to steal their souls. It wasn't necessary._

And then he knew.

He hadn't.

Because there hadn't seemed to be any need for it.

Iroh knew.

And he remembered something else.

"_The only emotion from you that will satisfy him is true grief."_

"No." The defeated soul whispered.

"KOH!"

He scrambled to his feet, and began racing about the room, searching for any means of exit other than the one he had used to get in.

But there was nothing.

The panicked general started _screaming!_

"_Please don't do it! Let her be, she doesn't have anything to do with this! She's not your enemy, she's just a child! You can have my face, take it, I beg of you! I beg of you, Koh, I BEG OF YOU! _"

"_LEAVE HER ALONE!!"_

_

* * *

_

Toph caught that cry, and was afraid.

Koh heard it as well, and grew offended.

As if offering up one's face willingly held any appeal for him. There would be no truth in such a submission. Just a pathetic attempt to avoid future pain in favor of deluded self-sacrifice. Did Iroh mistake him for some kind of greedy godling, searching out faces to glut some insatiable cosmic hunger?

Miserable human! He had as little understanding of Koh's purpose as any other.

He existed to provide answers for those too blind to see! All of this could have been prevented, were the participants more attentive to the lessons he offered them.

Even the Avatar.

Koh laughed at that, gliding through the tunnels of his abode. If only that boy were a little better informed, he might have gotten the hint. _We'll meet again._ A meager parting shot from a vanquished adversary? No. It had been a warning. And a promise! Had young Aang bothered to really learn anything about what had transpired over the last hundred years, he might have left with a better grasp of what the future would hold. Because that last face, the one Koh had used to deliver his final truth? That had been the face of the Firelord.

Not the latest, though. His father. Azulon. It had been a subtle hint. And while Koh had been mildly disappointed and insulted to have his clue brushed aside so heedlessly, it had not been a very great surprise.

The Avatar was a particularly simple deity. Its duties had been entirely mundane in origin, until humans had begun to develop a closer affinity with the natural elements. Even then, however, they had been deluded into crafting unnecessary distinctions between something so basic and simple. Four peoples, for four elements? Well, why not five, then? Or only one? Just as there was only one Avatar in a generation. That spirit had abandoned its immortal position to shepherd the arisen Four Tribes in their individual pursuits. Supposedly this had been done to prevent one faction from growing dominant over the others. But Koh knew better.

It was because his comrade had grown bored with its duties regulating the balance of nature, and decided to sample the tastes of the mortal realm.

That was why the Avatar alone could bend more than one aspect of the world. And instead of trying to goad the people into a more enlightened understanding of their innate powers, which could possibly lead to them erasing their ancestors' primitive delusions and shortcomings in regards to Bending, the great Bridge had chosen to exacerbate the problem in the form of its own unrefined 'balance' duty. By reincarnating one after another among the quartet of races in a predictable fashion, the Avatar Spirit had emphasized sectarian balance over unified cooperation. Stasis over growth. Was there some hubris involved in this judgment? Some, of course. After all, if Waterbenders married Firebenders and began producing children with control over two elements, how long until there were born people that could manipulate all four? Suddenly the Avatar's monopoly on power would be sundered between others. His reason for existing among the mortals would disappear. Better to allow Bending to appear in only one aspect per person. With the way it was now, each race was left with nothing but the anxious expectation of a future Avatar incarnation coming from within their ranks. So they remained fearful of retribution should they take action against another tribe, and grateful for the opportunity when the great spirit was supposedly on their side.

Fools.

The only side that spirit had was its own. Anyone who tried to instruct it otherwise was met with swift and blinding violence.

Something Koh knew all too well.

Others might upbraid him for his decision to act. One incarnation among hundreds tries to kill him, and he resolves to wipe out the entire Avatar Cycle? Overreaction? Perhaps. But better an _over -_reaction than no reaction at all. The other spirits grumbled and complained about mankind's failure to take note of their presence and works, but hardly any of them took it upon themselves to act about it. Preferring to let their precious go-between handle such disputes at its own stately pace, and garner some undeserved praise for it.

The excruciating ignorance and apathy of it all was what had convinced Koh to take drastic action.

If you want something done right, do it yourself.

Did he derive satisfaction from taking people's faces?

Yes.

They were better off without the thousand-fold mask of lies that bound them. The truth set them free to be who they always should have been.

Did he take pleasure from killing anyone?

Certainly not.

_Not_ just anyone. Only one. That brash, unthinking, self-absorbed, deluded little womb-hopper. Koh had to wonder whose bed the Avatar would force his way into next if so allowed, taking it for granted that they would desire him as much as he did them, if not more.

He had already taken steps to liberate the humans from their frustratingly immobile cycle. One of the races was extinct, save for a single example. The least populous one. The Air Nomad tribe, which had trumpeted abandoning the very world they lived in. Why? Because of spiritual purity? No. Because they had convinced themselves that there was something wrong with their world. And rather than choose to fix it, they had simply ignored it, preferring to seek enlightenment and look down upon their fellows, smugly proclaiming themselves superior over all the rest because they had no army, class system or even a form of currency.

They also had nothing particularly inventive to offer the world. Just repetitive mantras and an emphasis on rejection of physical demands. They wanted to be one with nature, like the spirits. A lofty and admirable intent, yes?

Just one problem with that.

They _weren't_ spirits!

They were human! It was the form they were born into! Did they think that was done arbitrarily? If they were meant to be unfettered souls, they wouldn't have been brought into existence as something that needed to breathe, eat, and bleed! In being mortal, they were not made less than their spiritual counterparts. They were _the_ most vital aspect of the living realm! And to spurn that existence, and the very world itself as a result, was an insult to all of creation!

Koh had tried to bring them around from this fallacy one by one.

They had not taken his lessons to heart.

So he gave them their wish. He made them spirits.

Whether or not they crossed over or lingered in their old home was their problem, not his. Koh was done giving fruitless lessons.

And he was tired of no one believing what he had to say.

But most importantly…

Koh was very, very angry.

He had no delusions. He knew that part of his crusade was based upon acrimony towards the bullish Avatar Kuruk. Such vindictive wrath had proven poisonous towards his dwelling place. The Tree of Truth was actually worse off from his being here. Koh knew this.

But he would be relieved of that particular emotion soon enough.

Because before this was done, he was going to have Firelord Ozai push his fist down the Aang boy's throat and burn his heart to ash.

Once that ended, he would take his leave of this abode. The spirit bodies of the dead Airbender and his predecessors could be used to fertilize the Tree of Truth. And under the guidance of the Avatar's successor, that Tree would flourish once again, its untainted fruit being offered to all humans. In this way, they would both be free. His long-held duty would finally be achieved.

The Bridge Between the Worlds was about to be burned behind him. And a new span would need to be built. With a brand new body that could let all the remaining tribes know where their true destinies lay.

Harbored in the shell of a particularly vicious young woman named Azula.

A new Firelord, for a new age. The Age of Truth.

The Age of Koh.

Let them sort it out from there as they may.

But before he turned his attention to that, there was still the matter of his uninvited guests. And a particularly lovely face waiting to be revealed. One that was remarkably truthful to others.

It had been a long time since the last of these. The face of a child.

A little girl, named Toph.

That one would look most becoming on him.

Feeling terribly amused by it all, Koh ascended further into the heights of his stronghold.

* * *

There came no answer. From either of them.

And there was no other way out of here, search though he might.

Desperate, Iroh turned and raced back up the stairs he had first entered on.

Coming back into the dirty twilight of that cloudy nirvana he halted, sweating and casting beseeching looks all about. Searching for a sign, a guide, anything to let him know what he was supposed to do here.

"SOMEONE! ANYONE! PLEASE HELP HER! SAVE HER!!"

The ghostly mists swirled sluggishly.

Not a single soul answered his call.

The bedraggled old tea-maker whirled back about, staring at the ghastly den. It was so awfully high. Could he reach up there? Could he even _see_ the top of this thing?

It didn't matter.

In the next instant Iroh lunged forth, scrambling across the spectral rocks. He reached the base of the tree, and gripped it with his hands. There was nothing registering beneath his fingers, but all the same, he knew he had to try.

So he began to climb.

It just happened. There was no real exertion at all. His heavy, clumsy-seeming fingers found purchase where none seemed to exist. Before long he was scaling the bark of this decrepit stick, launching himself towards the sky as a shot of flame came from a fist.

Like a fat bloated spider the resolute veteran ascended up to the heavens. He was feeling sick with fear, and guilt, and remorse. The sheer impossibility of what he was attempting almost made him let go from overwhelming despair. What chance did he have of saving her? How could he possibly outmaneuver Koh?

The doubts Iroh had kept suppressed now assailed him from all sides.

Between one moment and the next, his conviction wavered.

And then it happened.

He fell.

Off of the tree, staring hopelessly back up at the sun-topped crown of that unreachable peak.

His angle of descent caused him to miss the bare rock that supported this once-living ziggurat.

Without a sound, Iroh plummeted into the dense mists surrounding that lonesome peak. In just a few heartbeats, it was completely lost from view.

So with nothing left to lose, he closed his eyes, and prayed.

* * *

Down on all fours, Toph peered into the black hole below her.

She was positive that was Iroh's voice just now, shouting out a warning.

That cry made her feel very much afraid.

But it also served to help make up her mind.

"I'm coming down," the pale-skinned preteen mumbled.

A cursory evaluation of her current support confirmed that the spaces in between the strands would allow her to climb through them, although it might be a tight squeeze. But hey, this was the spirit world, right? No chance of getting caught in one of these holes and starving to death. That's a good thing. Buck up, kiddo, you've got nothing to worry about!

At least not yet.

Being so resolved, Toph then took a firm grip on the off-white branches. For all the good that did her. She did feel more secure somehow, though. Glancing back over her shoulder, Earth Rumble's four-time champion eased one leg through the nearest hole in this net. After her knee had passed the bounds of the web, she then began to inch her waist down into it, concentrating solely on her bare foot dangling down above the nothingness.

"My, my." A deep-timbered, whispery voice crooned beside her ear. "And what are we doing now?"

With a yelp Toph jerked upright, landing flat on her back to stare up at the sky. Or rather, where the sky should have been.

There was something hanging from the ceiling that hadn't been there before. And it was looking down on her. Its face now hovered only an arms' length from her own. But that was the only recognizable part. Try as she might, the visionary novice could not correlate what she was seeing with anything from her experience. It was almost the exact same color as the tree, long and dark, moving and swaying back and forth. Like a particularly long toe, she thought fleetingly. That analogy proved to be of no help. So instead of growing flustered by her ignorance regarding such matters, Toph chose to concentrate on the face, which was something she could recognize.

This incongruous attachment seemed drastically out of place on that body. She could pick out eyes of a very bright, strange color, heavy eyelids drooping over them. The nose was rather broad in comparison to her own, and the mouth fuller, more pronounced, with what looked to be bristles of hair on either side of it. That was pretty much as far as she could go in terms of comprehension. If the voice was any indication, the face belonged to that of a man. But the body was still monstrous. So what did all this tell you?

Still supine, Toph made a mental leap.

"Koh?"

Those pert lips stretched out in a broad smile, revealing even white teeth.

"In the flesh, so to speak. A pleasure to meet you, my dear Toph."

Unbeknownst to her, a look of intense fear came over the girl's highly demonstrative face.

And Koh chuckled.

Immediately upon hearing this, Toph scowled.

The Facestealer shook with undisguised delight.

But made no threatening move.

His intended victim held herself very still.

"What did you do to Iroh?" she spoke in a soft, angry voice.

A single black eyebrow rose mockingly on its face.

"Me? I haven't really done anything to him. He's still safe. Didn't Iroh tell you? Out here it's more a matter of what you do to yourself that counts."

Those plundered features creased in a winsome cast that was completely lost upon her. Toph had no experience in deciphering subtle facial expressions. The look she gave him was full of confusion.

Koh hissed softly, the strange moving limbs all around its face clacking together. He now appeared undoubtedly happy, his eyes almost fully closed in sensuous abandon.

While he was so enraptured, Toph mentally gauged how far she was from trying to squirm down off this network of branches. When the lids came open, she hastily cut off all such attempts, little realizing that her effort and its attendant emotions were plainly written on display for anyone to see.

It sent Koh into a frenzied loop-de-loop right above her, his plated body surging through the air while still remaining securely anchored to the inner wall of the tree. This was absolutely glorious! Never had someone entered his domain with absolutely no idea of the perils involved. It made for such an exhilarating show! And completely one-sided.

The full features once more drew down to hang pendulously over her own, like a blade waiting to fall.

Toph flinched and edged her feet slowly down into the hole.

"He didn't tell you anything about me, did he?" And there was no hiding the mockery in Koh's words. Not that he was trying. The flash of anger this brought forth in the girl was like a drug to him, it was so clear.

Toph gave him a baleful look. This thing, whatever it really was, seemed highly overconfident. It hadn't made any move to try and steal her face, probably because it believed she was helpless before it and there was no rush. Even if that was the case (and Toph wouldn't concede that point just yet), she recognized that there was more at stake here than just a mutual stare-off.

At the back of her mind, the thought flashed briefly: just what did Koh need in order to snatch a person's face from them? Apparently it wasn't your name. Iroh had appeared confident that he could prevent any such intrusion on his part, but he neglected to mention the details. Probably because he felt she didn't need to know. When next they met, she was going to launch into great detail about how when she said she wanted to know everything, that meant _everything!!_

"I heard that you're a spirit who steals faces and you're out to get the Avatar. Aside from that, what's there to know about you?"

"Oh, a great many things, little one. Perhaps you would like to ask me a few questions about all this…?"

Suddenly the man-mask disappeared, swallowed up by a great mouth. Toph gaped, but before she could speak a word, the maw opened once more.

If that was a face, she needed to have her eyes checked. This giant-eyed wide-lipped thing didn't look remotely human. Its tongue flicked out, of a more lurid shade than her own, to wave enticingly before her.

She was momentarily entranced by this sight, but quickly shook herself back to full awareness.

What if that was it, then?

"So, what, we ask each other questions, is that it? And what happens if I don't know the answer? Do you win? Is that how you take peoples' faces?"

"Goodness, no. Nothing so scholarly, I assure you." That huge mouth opened wide, revealing teeth that looked quite sharp. He took the time to savor her suspicion, it was just too good to pass up. The great tongue lingered outside for a few moments, then came back in. "I only thought we might get to know one another a trifle better. For future benefit."

"Well…" His new game partner inched a little farther along, hoping he wouldn't notice. "All right. Sure. Why not?"

"I can't think of a single valid reason. My turn now…"

He blinked again, coming up with one of his oldest faces, that of a dark-skinned black-eyed little boy. Originally belonging to one of his kin, the infant's father had remedied the loss of his son's face by cutting off the child's head, and then replacing it with another. Koh hadn't bothered to steal the new one. That long trunk and tusk just wouldn't go well with his ensemble.

"Did you come here intending to kill me?"

There was something palpably innocent in the expression he wore now, as though it was demanding to know how anyone in their right mind could conceive of doing him harm.

Toph just gave a huff.

"Actually, I didn't mean to come to this place at all. It was an accident, I guess."

The two gleaming black cabochons narrowed, and Koh began to inch towards her face.

"I was going to wait for Iroh to bring you back, and then help him kill you," she concluded matter-of-factly.

For a moment, the dancing segments grew still.

The look he now gave her was dark with wrath. And consideration.

"Now." Toph slid her elbows up surreptitiously, training her gaze on his in order to keep the spirit's attention. "If what Lu-L…Ten said was true, then you can't tell a lie. So how come you didn't take Iroh's face yet?"

A quake passed through the centipede body, heralding yet another switch. What opened up to regard her now had lines all over its face, and three eyes, one on each cheek and another on the forehead. Its mouth was a vertical slash, there was no nose apparent, and altogether it was inexcusably horrific. A look of dread grew on her, and Toph waited for her face to be sucked up by this nightmare.

But instead it continued speaking in that same soothing, expressive voice.

"I would have, if he had only played by the rules. Coming here with his body meant he had access to a defense measure that would otherwise have been unavailable. To make it simple, your friend fainted dead away right before I was about to win. I'm still quite upset over that."

"I'll bet." She judged herself just about ready to make the attempt.

"So, answer me this. If you weren't intending to confront me here, why exactly did Iroh bring you along? Considering the family history, I doubt he would concede to placing a child in such danger."

"He didn't invite me. I tagged along myself. To protect him."

The Facestealer chuckled, and switched to a plain-looking woman's face, mouth still working into a crease.

"Well, you must be something very special back in the physical plane."

"You'll find out soon," Toph shot back, and prepared to launch herself into the pit.

And then Koh said something that stopped her.

"I only wondered if he wasn't planning to use you the same way Avatar Kuruk did his wife."

The little earth mistress gazed up at him uncomprehendingly.

"What do you mean?"

Her adversary nodded sagely, closing its eyes. "Something else he left out, I see. Yes, I'm afraid you might have been misinformed. Back in those days, it was indeed possible to draw out spirits like myself who harbored within the souls of the living. But _only_ the living. And Kuruk loved his lady so very deeply that he was willing to risk her life so as to not be faced with losing her to me."

Koh the Facestealer dipped down to sway obscenely before the astonished face of his prey.

"There was a bit of bloodletting to start it all off. Nothing that would pose a threat to the girl, to be sure. But I'm afraid that when it was all over, the Water Avatar was left to bury that sweet young child all alone."

Aghast, Toph stared up at him.

"No, he didn't," she whispered. "Iroh told me, he said…"

"You've heard the old saying, 'Winners write the history books.'" The colossal insect coiled ever closer to her. "Well, in this case, it was the loser. Kuruk didn't want the full truth of his failure to come out. So he told everyone that he would have to confine her to a safe place, for their protection, and hers. He then removed her body to the South Pole, where she was from, and built for her a splendid tomb. Actually, I believe it's now a temple for the Avatar. Quite nice, really. Small, tasteful, and elegant. Because he truly did love that lady fair."

There was nothing but horror etched in every plane of her face.

And Koh smiled craftily.

"Toph…"

She blinked, turning those magnificent green eyes up at him. The Facestealer watched the naked emotions chase themselves all over her.

"Are _you_ in love with anyone?"

Her mouth opened, on the brink of stating a name.

She saw the thing that loomed before her, then. Saw it for every insidious threat to her life it truly was.

Toph hesitated.

And looked away.

It came out in a whisper.

"No."

Koh's face fell.

And a new one came to replace it.

The smashed face of a dead man, missing all features but a single golden eye.

"Now that… was a LIE!"

Koh _lunged_ forward!

Toph screamed in terror, and then their mouths met.

The spirit's eye-mask closed about the front of her head, clamping down like a vice. She heard it laugh once, low and cruel.

"_You should have been more honest with yourself._"

And then he took her face.

* * *

Elsewhere, in the world of the living, the dead had grown agitated.

They could feel her.

They felt her…

Slipping.

Slipping away.

_NO!!_ the souls of the earth wailed.

_Don't go!_

_We need you!_

_We can protect you!_

_Just stay with us!_

_Don't go!_

_Stay!_

_We NEED you!!_

_STAY!!!_

And desperately they reached up, from the cold stone bonds that held them, through her unnoticed connection to their resting place. Into her, _through _her!

They grabbed hold, and sought to make her stay.

* * *

Koh was awash with rapture, delighting in the presence and closeness that this victory afforded him. He began to pull away then, preparing to leave her with a blank, expressionless mask that would teach this girl a great deal about honesty.

And something jerked backward.

"_WHAT?!" _Koh gasped.

Toph's limp spirit body lifted from his web, and began to draw towards the light shining from up above. It dragged the conjoined Facestealer with it. For a moment Koh was completely at a loss.

_Come back_.

The master spirit tensed.

"_WHO DARES DEFY ME?!!"_

_We need you. _

_Come back_.

"_STOP!"_ Enraged, the bloated entity pulled back, clutching the wall of its home with all its prodigious strength. _"YOU CANNOT DO THIS, SHE BELONGS TO ME NOW!"_

_No._

_Not you._

_Us._

_She is our child_.

The helpless object in this otherworldly tug-of-war had reached the opening now, and was rising into the overcast sky.

Then Koh snatched her down again.

"_Miserable foolish dead things!"_ he hissed. _"You have no say in this matter! You have no voice to speak in anyone's defense, not even your own! I will make you regret this insolence!"_

_Our voices._

_She hears them._

_She knows us._

_We are her people._

_They came for us._

_At last._

"_NO!"_ His wrath was at an unprecedented level now. _"YOU are nothing but ghosts chained to a world that no longer recognizes you! And this chit of a girl has played a game she had no understanding of how to win. The victory is mine! So I command you to LET GO!!"_

He began to pull Toph further into his lair. They were too weak. Nothing but a lingering stain, mere insects when compared to his power. Their hold began to give way. And he exulted in his triumph.

"_The earthly realm has no power here! None! Her spirit belongs with ME!"_

To this they responded…

"**NO!!!!!!"**

The ghosts were locked away in stone and earth. And they used that. It was a part of them since birth and after death. This thin dusting of soil, this granite, it was the _face_ of their world. And they _knew it!_ They understood how the earth felt and moved and spoke to the living things that trod heedlessly for the most part upon it. But this one girl was not crippled like the rest, like they used to be. She moved with and understood the rock and dirt so well that it was practically a part of her. Toph was the bridge between the land and those too blind to notice it. When the earth cried, she listened! When it sang, she joined in! She loved their unspoken connection!

And that connection had not gone unrecognized.

Just as there was a spirit for the Moon and Ocean…

So too was there a spirit of the Earth.

While those ghosts cried out, as their hold on the living descendant of the Earth Kingdom was just about to slip away, the slumbering ground that had held them for so long roused, reacting to their frantic pleas.

It joined its power to theirs, and PULLED!

Gloating at the unexpected but welcome overcoming of his enemies, Koh was just about to detach himself.

When suddenly there came a mighty yank on his soul!

Caught unawares, the awesome spirit scrabbled in shock for a stable purchase.

For a few moments, it seemed he would actually hold out against them all.

Then, in one all-important instant, the Tree of Truth moaned.

And gave a shuddering lurch.

Koh's spindly legs lost their connection.

With a scream, the Stealer of False Faces was cast out into the light, dangling along his connection to Toph like a lure on fishing line. Both souls were sucked up into the heavens, one helpless and fragile, the other flailing with power and rage.

The two of them entered into the sun, and then…

* * *

Toph drew a gasping lungful of air, and stepped back.

She felt cold, and stiff. Like she hadn't moved for the longest time.

There was a lingering fragrance in the air, rapidly diminishing.

The ground was solid beneath her feet.

It told her… everything.

And her eyes…

Her eyes told her that she was blind again.

The startled young wanderer reached up to touch her face, groping about to settle delicately over those functionless orbs that she now knew for a fact were green.

She should have cried. Somehow, Toph knew that.

But she felt nothing.

And that was not ordinary. She should have been feeling something, but she didn't. Not even horror to find herself so drained of emotion.

While she stood there puzzling over this strange predicament…

Something slammed into the ground _hard!_

The Earthbender jumped, startled.

When her bare soles once more were firmly lodged into their native element, she got her first objective look at whatever caused this.

Big couldn't really describe it. The way this thing felt, it could have taken on that dragon of Iroh's, or at least Aang's sky bison. It was made of parts, all joined together, but the way it was thrashing and flailing over the surface of the vale, it was hard to tell. She got lingering impressions of legs and other implements that swung scrabbling against the rock, searching for a foothold. Eventually she determined it had landed on its back, and was trying to right itself in a rather awkward, graceless manner.

If it weren't so obviously strong, she might have found that funny. But the way she felt right now, it wouldn't matter either way.

Toph just stood there staring vaguely straight ahead, not doing anything but registering her inexplicable return to the living world and all it could tell her.

Then the great behemoth finally got some purchase, and after a few unsuccessful attempts, managed to get itself back on its own feet.

All twelve of them.

While it swayed there, heavy and dangerous, Toph at last felt she could get a clear picture of it.

And when she did, the girl found herself to be facing a giant centipede.

That was certainly out of the ordinary.

While absorbing this odd zoological specimen, something else came to her.

A sound on the air.

Like a soft hissing.

"_Toph_…"

A voice then spoke. Inside her head.

Her ears never really heard it, and yet still, it sounded very familiar.

"_Toph, listen to me_…"

Low, and resonant, and angry.

"_Where are you? I have to kill you now."_

Koh the Facestealer took a few pattering steps forward, and the spirits in the rock moaned in helpless terror.

_To be continued…_


	6. Koh's Final Mask

No longer did Iroh fall. He was floating down through the mists.

No. Not quite.

He was flying.

It was really too bad Zuko could not be here for this. Flying was best when shared with others. Actually, that line of thinking applied to anything dangerous or reckless. Like jumping off a cliff into the ocean, or bearding a tusked buffaloha. If there was someone else to partake in the excitement, that just made it all the more enjoyable.

The daring part of this particular venture lay in that he had no idea where he was going.

Iroh lay spread out on the eagle's broad back. When first it had caught him, the distraught general thought for sure it must be some mistake. His unexpected rescuer had then continued to bear him further down into the sea of clouds, away from the source of his agitation.

He had not reacted gracefully.

"Stop!" the commander of nations demanded. "Where are we going?! I need to get back up there, please!"

The vast wings swept up and down, teasing the fog into long lazy plumes. They did not alter their course.

"Why are you doing this?" he cried imploringly.

A golden-brown head lifted to regard him. Something about the look in its eyes gave Iroh the uncomfortable impression that it was considering discarding his burden altogether.

Then it turned its onyx gaze forward once again.

"I seem to recall somebody praying for assistance. I was passing through on the way to visit a friend, and it seemed like doing a good deed wouldn't hurt either of our odds at gambling or finding true love. What do you think?"

The hawk's voice, for that was clearly who was speaking, was remonstrative, otherworldly, and intensely feminine.

They were quite the most beautiful tones he had ever registered, and he proceeded to tell it so.

Afterwards the hawk seemed mollified.

"Ah, do go on. My worshippers always tend to start on the eyes. Once you've had them compared to everything under the sun that glows or shines, you start to hope for something a bit more personal. One can work on improving their voice, you know. Getting your eyes to sparkle takes a lot more out of you."

"I don't doubt you for a moment." He was not in any position to, even if he wanted to do so. In his experience, Iroh had the distinctly illogical impression that he was falling in love with this entity. It made him feel quite light-headed, and relaxed.

"My kinswoman has the same trouble with her hair." His avian amoré continued to chat good-naturedly while diving ever further into the mists of the afterlife. "Men and women won't stop going on about it. In her case, there's the issue of its provenance. Solid gold hair will attract the eye of the most heartless person. As for me, when they're going on about my eyes, they're usually fixing theirs on something a bit lower. Towards the chest area, if you catch my meaning."

"Ohhh," the titled royal nodded sagely. "You are speaking of your…"

"That's right. My necklace."

For the first time Iroh noticed the magnificent ornament looped around the spirit-bird's neck. It was crafted of brilliantly lustrous gold bands in each of which was set a type of jewel so pitch-black and glistening they could have been alive. Like eyes, the devotee pondered. Her eyes, to be precise.

The eagle flew on. "Actually, this bauble is the reason behind my journey now. People keep on trying to steal it. I'm going to someone who has had the same problem in the past. Hopefully he'll be readily willing to part with some wisdom as to how I can keep folks' hands off of it. But if he's not in a good mood, I suppose I'll just have to get him drunk. Normally I'd sleep with him, but this guy has never fallen for that particular honey-trap. Makes me rather interested, I'm not afraid to admit."

After that statement, the prince's ears and face were too red for him to do anything but stammer incoherently for a while.

The last part of their trip was somewhat lacking in conversation.

At last, after what seemed like an eternity but was probably much shorter, the shining raptor emerged from the limitless fogbank, into a spherical clearing the size of a mountain.

Floating in this hollow bubble was a tremendous ibis.

Another bird, Iroh thought vacantly. That figures.

This one had pure white plumage. Its bright blue tree-trunk legs rested on nothing visible. A swan-like neck was capped by a head with two blazing sapphire eyes, which travelled back and forth. The source of its concentration appeared to be three giant books laid out around it, and the ibis' curved scimitar beak teased the pages apart with no discernible effort.

The eagle angled down to float before the face of its spectacular ally.

One of the perfect blue moons trained upon them.

"Greetings, Valshamr."

"Ugh," the golden bird sighed. "Don't go mixing form with function, please! Just because I brought uninvited company is no need to go all formal on me."

"Nevertheless," the ibis continued, "while he is here, I must insist you refer to me as Lord Khemmenu."

"Right then." His flying ride looked back in Iroh's direction. "Lord Come-On-Moo. You hear that?"

He nodded back.

"Settled to satisfaction." Valshamr regarded her genius cousin once more. "So. You know why I'm here. You know everything."

"Yes. And I will be glad to counsel you, without the aid of intoxication." At her pout, the bird lord blinked its eye in entreaty. "Please accept my apologies, for that and one other thing."

"And that would be?"

"I would like to speak to your idolator alone for a time."

"Oh, fine by me, _Lord _Khemmenu." She gave a shrug, in violation of her appearance's capabilities in that respect, and Iroh found himself lifted off her back as a result to hang floating in the void.

She looked over at him meaningfully.

"You're hot-blooded."

Strangely enough, she did not sound teasing at all, but deadly serious.

"Remember I said that."

The eagle goddess then took off into the clouds. "Let me know when you're done, gentlemen." So saying, she left them to their devices.

Iroh stood, a bit nervously, on nothing at all. The desert avian then broke off from its perusals to regard him fully.

"We are not alike, Iroh," it spoke to him heavily. "Because of this I must express my regrets for what I am about to do. While you have only had your memories to guide you up until now, from this time on you will be burdened with knowledge of the future as well."

* * *

Koh moved forward.

In the wrong direction.

Toph gazed at it uncomprehendingly.

The embodied entity jerked to a halt. Its front section shot upwards, claws tearing up at the sky. That same loathsome hissing sounded in her ears.

But in her thoughts came something more.

It spoke to her, and what it said was…

"_Blind."_

She took a step back, shaking her head, trying to rid it of this unaccustomed presence that had taken up space where the heart of her being had used to reside. But those words did not stop.

"_You're blind."_

Some part of her, an impulse born from the most primitive recesses of her brain, caused Toph to bring her body into an Earthbender's stance.

"_You're… BLIND!"_

And that's when she felt something.

Rage.

And helplessness.

"_YOU'RE BLIND!"_

She could feel him turning in her direction.

Koh looked right at her.

And kept right on turning.

That's when Toph realized something else.

"_YOU FLAWED PIECE OF LYING DECAYING MEAT, YOU'RE __**BLIND**__!!!"_

It was true. She couldn't see a thing. The eyes in her face were completely useless.

Therefore, so were Koh's.

Because the face that he wore now belonged to Toph.

And in this world, she was blind.

The Facestealer dropped its massive bulk earthwards, hammering it violently against the stone. It then raised itself up again and began pummeling madly in all directions, jarring the earth like a hammer against the world. Crushing everything around it into broken rubble, Koh hissed voicelessly. The stolen face was worked into an expression of venomous hatred as he attempted to smash the source of this unforeseen ailment under his vast weight.

His unwitting adversary performed a rock jump to distance herself from that unfocused display of murderous wrath. Some things had just become clear to her. For starters, Koh apparently couldn't see. Whatever face he had on didn't allow him to, so the only reasonable conclusion was that he had stolen hers and was wearing it now. How he had come to be with her back on earth or why he didn't simply switch visages as she knew he could was not made clear.

But one more realization was evident. She was another of Koh's victims. They were connected. And apparently, the only emotions she was capable of experiencing were ones that he himself was feeling right now.

So in this situation, Toph decided to reach for some anger.

And this time, she found it straight away.

That let her know what she truly wanted to do.

Koh's insectoid form hit the earth, and the earth hit back.

A gray slab of granite shot up and connected with his abdomen, launching the monster skywards. It collapsed on its back with legs scrabbling in the air.

Toph let herself get a good feeling for its position, and then excavated a massive cylinder of stone from right beside the thing. She lifted it up to float over the incapacitated insect.

Then she brought it down hard!

"_YOU THINK IT IS SO EASY?!"_

The girl cried out, staggered, and the executioner's column veered off course, breaking to pieces just a few feet away from Koh.

"_You think to kill me. I will never allow that."_

She could feel it coming back to an upright position. Slowly and carefully. It was in her head. Koh had that advantage, to be sure. But this wasn't as much of a handicap as he was currently struggling with. Apparently even though he had some connection to her, it did not translate into sharing Toph's Earthsight. Right now, it had nothing to go on but hearing and feeling. And it would seem that Koh did not have much familiarity with moving around in a body. While Toph was fully aware of just how strong this beast was, it was also rather clumsy in its own skin. Not conscious of how to move around and which movement led to what result. That meant she had the upper hand in this fight, at least until it figured out what to do.

For several seconds, both combatants stood still, gauging one another.

Then Koh began to creep anxiously off to the side.

In doing so, it was actually edging nearer to where she stood.

Toph did not make a sound.

"_You are nothing but a mortal. You think I can't outlive you? Another lie."_

Could he hear her thoughts like she did his? Maybe, maybe not. That last mind-jab might have been a tactic, or just an inspired bluff. Perhaps all he was getting from this was a one-way connection. He wouldn't just tell her if that was the case, though. Koh wasn't that dumb. So what should she do?

A thought came to her.

What would Sokka do?

Inspiration struck.

And Toph screamed, "BEHIND YOU!"

A block of granite wind-milled up at his back and fell to squash Koh.

The nasty creature scuttled frantically to one side, avoiding the deathblow. It danced along, head jerking around, testing the air with its new-found array of senses.

'_IN FRONT!'_

She _thought_ it.

Same attack, from the opposite direction as before. There was a bracing in the creature's sinews, in reaction to the groaning shift in the terrain, but no drastic movement.

The blow slammed home, laying Koh flat on his stomach, legs splayed out to either side.

Question answered.

She didn't let up. More stone slabs shot forth, and began pounding on the unholy abomination, grinding and pulping it like a sky-bison chewing its cud. Now there were no thoughts in her head, whether from one or the other. Only fury, allowing her to find the resolve necessary to do what she had to…

"_WRETCH!"_

It was fast. So unbelievably fast. Between one heartbeat and the next the spirit braced its back legs, and whipped the front of its body around in a great arc. The stone teeth were torn off at their base and sent flying all about, as though they were no more durable than chaff on wheat. It happened so quickly that Toph didn't even have time to catch them up, and so the earth was rocked by a series of heavy collisions, leaving her momentarily uncertain as to her surroundings.

Then Koh was moving again. And if he was hurt, he certainly didn't show it.

"_I am OLDER than the earth! I know all its secrets. Whatever you can bring to this fight, it will not be enough. An Avatar could not kill me, and neither will a blind child. The only one dying here is you, mortal!"_

She spoke to it, only now deigning to truly do so.

"I want it back."

The seismic prodigy flung her head to one side, and a twenty-foot wheel sprang up beside her. Sharp spikes protruded all around its circumference. Another flick, and a second such implement rose to flank her on the left.

"You stole a part of me, and I'm not stopping until I get it back."

He laughed at her then, that dry empty dangerous cough causing her to wince.

But Toph was not afraid of him.

She couldn't be.

With that she sent the killer wheels surging forth.

* * *

Still not thinking clearly. That much was obvious to him. The threat of Koh, his concern for Toph and the sheer implausibility of this situation were combining to rob Iroh of his regular sharp focus.

"What am I doing here?"

Khemmenu shook his head quickly, a very bird-like motion.

"Whether you know it or not, you are standing at a crossroads, Iroh. There are uncountable destinies in the world, but some are more drastic and far-reaching in their implications than others. For generations, the Avatar's destiny has been the one that has most directly shaped the fate of your people. Whether for good or ill."

One of the titanic books lifted up to hang before them, its spine slowly opening.

"But now it is a mortal who holds the world in his hands. And ironically, the Avatar as well. Aang remains unaware of just how much personal danger he has been in from the start. You, who have reasoned out the meaning behind this ancient conflict, are now better situated than even the Avatar to resolve it. This long-standing grudge between two spirits has spilled over into the affairs of the mortal realm. There are many choices yet to be made by countless people."

"But if Aang faces Ozai as things stand now, his fate will be sealed."

The book opened before them, and looking into it, Iroh saw…

* * *

_The last Airbender plummeted to the earth, impulsively bending a plume of water from a nearby lake to catch him. He sank down into those warm, soothing depths, his consciousness fading. _

_Forming around the perimeter, a small army of master Firebenders looked up, to see their master descending among them. Princess Azula appeared in a burst of flames to join him. _

_Father and daughter watched the surface of the pool._

_A beam of light erupted from the depths, piercing the heavens with otherworldly power, reaching out like a white sword to challenge the red falchion that now cut across the stars._

_Aang came up with it, eyes flaring with power as the Avatar state activated to save him._

_The Firelord smiled in approval. And behind his face, Koh exulted._

_At a sign from Ozai, his minions unleashed a supernova of flames at their miniscule target. Their efforts were met by a geyser that rushed up all around him, quenching even this fantastic display of power. Engulfed in water, the spirit-turned-flesh glared reproachfully at his attackers, ready for any assault. It was an awesome sight. _

_And a predictable one._

_The last decision that boy would ever make._

_Koh laughed uproariously, and whispered to his agent what to do._

_As he did, Ozai and his daughter completed their forms. Lightning exploded out of the pair, more energy than either had produced in their entire lives. _

_Their preparations had not gone unnoticed. Further water came up to defend him._

_The unleashed Avatar Spirit had only a moment of surprise when it saw them plunge their outstretched fingers into the edge of the lake._

_An electrical current of unmatched potential shot through the water, rising up the aquatic pillar, and entered the astonished Aang's body. _

_A surge of panic, a flash of remorse…_

_And then his heart stopped beating. _

_The last Airbender fell back into the lake, dead as a stone._

_

* * *

_

Another page turned.

* * *

"_You!" Aang swore angrily, his blood boiling at the sight of the empty pane of skin where his nemesis' face should have hung._

_Ozai smirked, and hanging in transparent form behind him, Koh chuckled._

"_I spoke the truth, boy. We are met once again."_

_The conflict erupted, as the cream of the Fire Nation's forces joined the royal family in attacking their country's enemy. _

_Aang fought back, bringing all his wits and courage to bear in this decidedly one-sided fight._

_He strove to disable, but not kill. At first. But as those he sought to incapacitate were replaced by others, the gentle soul became more heedless in his actions, and less concerned with anything but survival. There were voices speaking from within his soul, endless manifestations of Avatars urging him on, offering him support and guidance. Their actions, while well-intentioned, only served to confuse the already-agitated child, and in a moment of teary-eyed panic, he lost control._

_He reduced three living human beings to burnt bleeding corpses._

_Only afterwards did Aang realize this, and when his horrified scream tore forth, Koh made his move._

_He jumped in, confronting the Avatar Spirit directly. They were arrayed before him, spread out behind their current incarnation, hundreds of generations of thinking, feeling people. _

_But behind Koh, there were tens of thousands of faces._

_He attacked them, causing a chain reaction of confusing impulses and blending spirits colliding within the mind and soul of young Aang. The Avatar was outnumbered, and in its desperation, it could not resist when Koh forced it to enter the Avatar State._

_As soon as that happened, back in the living world where two Firebenders held onto both of the boy's arms with grips of the inferno, Firelord Ozai pushed his fist down the glowing throat, and burned the pounding heart to ash._

_

* * *

_

Another turn of the page.

* * *

_The Firebending army was wiped out, their numbers mere wheat before the scythe when compared to the Avatar. Azula had fled at her father's command, leaving him to challenge their immortal enemy alone. Ozai proved himself to be a far more adaptive fighter than his opponent, utilizing methods and techniques of Firebending that the boy had never even suspected of existing. With the comet to empower him, the battle went on far longer than anyone else could have hoped to achieve._

_But Aang had his Avatar State. And when you could call upon raw unmatched strength, what loss creativity?_

_The fight ended with the ruler of the Fire Nation brought to his knees on a column of sandstone. His hands were encased in pillories of rock that brought him down to kneel before the great and powerful Bender. _

_The Avatar reached out to utilize his miraculously acquired advantage of Spiritbending in order to end the fight without bloodshed._

_Then Ozai committed suicide._

_The technique was developed by a genius pyromancer centuries earlier, combining the use of two different elements. No record of it existed, since the first and only usage had cost the developer his life. Therefore no explanation had ever been found for the devastation of a village on an island in the southern tip of the Fire Nation archipelago. It was made aware to Ozai only due to Koh's vast stores of knowledge. By superheating vast quantities of air and then drawing it all into one point at unheard-of speeds, a person could unleash an explosion of indiscriminate destructive potential. With Ozai's innate skill and the addition of the Comet's presence, it was like a miniature sun, a fire spell so incredible that even the caster could not survive its affects. _

_And neither could an Avatar. Aang was reduced to nothing more than an outlined shadow on a cliff a mile distant._

_So ended the line of Avatars, and the Airbender nation. Afterwards, the world was briefly ruled by Azula, and then by Koh for the rest of her life._

_

* * *

_

The pages moved quite quickly then. In virtually all of them, the headstrong young messiah would eschew the determined protection of his friends on the grounds that he did not want them to be hurt. Then he would proceed to inevitably die. The swirling defensive air around his body would be superheated by Ozai and Azula, cooking the child in his own juices. Or one of them would condense a strong flame into a tiny spark and then send that suppressed energy streaking into Aang's mouth while he was trying to explain to them how he did not want to fight, scorching his lungs beyond repair. Sometimes out of the Avatar State, but more often than not in it, so that the spirit's eternal resurrection in the world was completely annihilated. Not that it made much difference. Without the Airbenders, the cycle inevitably cut off after just three more reincarnations. There was no way around it. The Avatar was finished.

Ozai did not survive him for long, as Azula's poisonous nature combined with Koh's interference saw her ascending the throne over the dead body of her parent, continuing a little-known family tradition.

It was upon seeing this that Iroh truly lost control.

"This cannot be!" he bellowed. "I refuse to permit something so atrocious from taking place! You must help me to save them all!"

Khemmenu blinked approvingly. "That is a decision I have already reached. Whether you know it or not, Iroh, you have been blessed with the love and guidance of several puissant spirits. You are, in a sense, our avatar, chosen to act in our stead to challenge the will of Koh, whose ambitions enshroud the path of destiny for everyone on your world. Bear in mind, this is not necessarily saying that I disagree with the Slayer of Deceit. Only in his choices. For ages, the truth has decayed under its own provenance, its deterioration both unavoidable and largely unnoticed. Koh ultimately believes himself to be in the right. He does not ascribe his notions to either good or evil, only truth, and that is why those actions are often untenable in the eyes of others. I only wish to have a more open interpretation of that subject."

The brilliant god's eye flared suddenly.

"And to be perfectly honest, the idea of slaughter and infanticide has never appealed to me. Call it a decision from on high."

Throughout this speech Iroh gazed at his spiritual supporter wearily. The feeling was definitely coming back into his bones, more so with every passing moment. But it was no longer certain in his mind that he could simply pop back into the living realm as easily as he had gone out of it, even if that was not what he wanted right now.

"Forgive me, but is there anything you can tell me that might actually prove useful in confronting my enemy?"

Khemmenu cocked an eyebrow, a distinctly human trait for his bird head.

"When you spoke to Koh recently, he displayed a face that touched something deep within you. Try and remember what that was. The truth will save more than just your life."

The determined soul shook his head. "I have grown somewhat tired of word games in my old age, in spite of what Toph might think of me. All I wish now is to be directed back to the lair of the Facestealer, if there is nothing more." He then turned away, debating how to accomplish this task on his own if necessary.

"Iroh."

He glanced back.

The lord of nirvana had returned to studying another tome, but the pages of the book of time were turning again. When at last they settled, Iroh saw two different images.

The sight made his blood run cold.

His supernatural teacher spoke without looking at him.

"You knew it might come to this. And so did she. You told her yourself. But she has succeeded where you failed. They are together now, and he is trying to kill her. That is the fastest way for him to get back. It is happening again, just like eight hundred years ago. But this time there is more than one person fighting. So remember what Koh reminded you of, and the wisdom that we have offered."

Before Iroh could respond, one of the gargantuan white wings swept out, and in a rush of instantaneous motion, he was ejected from that domain back up to the less secluded realms.

Shortly after this, Valshamr reappeared within the dome of knowledge. She coasted over to her cohort's side, studying the manual he was absorbed in. Khemmenu gave her an admonishing glance, to which she replied with a desultory shake of her head.

"It sounded like wisdom to me. But you know he's right? We do tend to speak in riddles when dealing with mortals. I have to wonder if that's the reason they don't listen to us anymore."

"Well," he sighed musingly, "It is not as if expecting them to think is an overly unreasonable request. And wisdom happens to be one of my provenances."

The goddess flapped her wings in a living display of power and beauty.

"And mine is love. There happens to be a lot in that man's heart. I hope he chooses to heed it." The amorous deity then cocked her head in an interrogatory manner. "Now then, my learned lovebird, on to the other reason for my being here. Do you have any suggestions in that regard?"

Khemmenu looked away from his readings. "Oh, you mean about this?"

The magnificent golden collar was now dangling from his beak.

Valshamr yelped in surprise. "HOW DID YOU…?!"

Khemmenu gave a snort of laughter.

"Guile. Another aspect of my character."

Two flasks of strong beer appeared before them both.

"Shall we discuss it further, my dear?"

* * *

The deadly discs bore down upon Koh, and he chose to answer them in kind. His insect legs then put on a furious display of motion, and his body began to curve in a circle. Face coming close to his stingers, he sped rapidly over the ground, like a spinning wheel himself. When he met with one of those instruments, the force of their collision caused the weapon to shatter against his thick carapace, its spikes drawing only scrapes on the armored hide. The sightless spinner of truths then careened all over the battlefield, seeking to encounter the spot where his foe resided.

Toph had a great deal of experience in battles. When one disc failed, she did not squander the other one in the same attempt. Instead she upended it, laying her invention flat against the ground and rotating it much in the same manner as Koh. While this was happening, the underage cage-fighter created a smaller such implement beneath her, and took off around the natural arena, keeping her distance from the furiously striving spirit.

Being denied access to most emotions was actually proving to be less a weak point than she might have expected. However, this clear-headedness also provided Toph with the realization that outside of battle, being an emotional corpse had very few practical advantages. Therefore, she did not consider abandoning this contest even for a second.

The enemy was unspeakably fast, and this phenomenal speed was now being enhanced with greater agility. Apparently Koh was starting to get the hang of being earthly. But there was nothing he could do about his vision.

"_Give up."_

That was another factor.

"_You won't win." _

One she couldn't affect.

"_You'll grow tired eventually."_

He wouldn't shut up.

"_And when that happens you will die."_

It wasn't irritating. More like distracting. Some part of her remained aware of how right he was. She couldn't keep this up forever. Considering his infirmity and inexperience, the safest tactic was to simply escape, and leave him to his blind fumbling through this eerie canyon.

Koh whipped erratically towards her, and she skidded away, directing the larger disc to aim for his legs. The stone slab knocked them out from under him, sending the behemoth pitching face-first to the floor. The young prodigy sent it at him again, and this time Koh reacted in time, launching himself completely into the air and swiftly coming down to crush the assault under his loathsome flesh before renewing his scrambling dash.

There was just one thing stopping her.

Toph leapt off her perch, letting the force of her landing lend strength to the casting. From every conceivable inch of surface in that hollow, stone spears shot out of the ground, rising skyward. She felt some of them pierce the skin of Koh's relatively tender underbelly, but his inertia broke them off and kept them from proceeding upwards, instead causing the juggernaut to lose his footing again and go slamming into the side of further protruding daggers. There was no blood hitting the ground, so the damage was minimal, but still this proved he _could _be harmed!

As she stood there, reading their battlefield, something struck nearby that caught the focused fighter's attention. She zeroed in on it, snatching it up and bending the item into a more easily-carried form. Never know when something like this might come in handy. Several other smaller objects came back to earth. One of them was a smoldering orb that had no earthly business being in that forgotten place. But its presence served to remind Toph of something.

She was not the only one at risk here.

There was a good chance that she could flee this battle, and save herself. But if she did, then what would become of Iroh?

If he popped back in as abruptly as he left, what was keeping Koh from attacking him instead? The old man could die. He wasn't as quick as she was.

And Toph had made a promise.

He had asked her to…

At that moment, Koh was in pain.

And Toph felt a sharp stab of the same in her chest.

It made her pause.

"_Struggle, and die for it."_

The repulsive bug scrambled rapidly up one of the protruding teeth. Its facial claws contracted together, their tips touching at the center of the ring. They came apart, and something had formed between them. A pale gossamer substance the width of a person's finger. It seemed to sprout from each ungodly talon.

Then the spider claws swept out to their fullest width, and lines shot forth in every direction.

Multiple extensions came from every claw, until the air was filled with them. When they impacted with anything, it was far from gentle. The web-lines punctured the stone knives, breaking them into small pieces. Upon proceeding to strike the ground, they anchored there like branches propelled by the force of a tornado.

Toph couldn't see what was coming, but she heard it. And her first reaction saved her. Instead of trying to dodge, the champion Bender instantly brought a column up beneath her feet, sending the girl shooting nearly a hundred feet into the air. This prevented her from being struck, but the same could not be said for her support. The cylinder shivered apart under the force of several silk arrows, causing her to topple from her perch. Those fractured pellets did not fall as one might expect, but performed sudden turns in midair to enwrap Toph in a cocoon of durable granite. There was no light within, but it was not as though that mattered. So she fell, anticipating contact with the ground at any second.

The stone egg abruptly stopped, bouncing up and down a bit before settling into stasis. However, to Toph's surprise, she could get no resultant input from her element.

It was as though she were hanging in midair.

She retracted the shell a bit, allowing her to reach a hand outwards. Her fingers made contact with something smooth for a moment, and a slight sting travelled into them. She moved quickly to draw them back.

Only to find that she couldn't.

Toph pulled, but her hand would not come free. It was stuck fast, and the small pain did not diminish. Like something was burning her, and growing worse. It hit her then. Strands. Like a spider's web, and she was caught in them.

What now?

"_Are you ready, little one?"_

The web began to shake, as if something big was travelling along it.

"_I'm coming to end it now."_

Within moments, control of the environment had passed from Toph to Koh.

Stranded, in more ways than one, the cornered combatant considered her course. Only one made any sense in her present timeframe. With that she forced open a hatch in the bottom of her carrier. Feeling it connect with another line of webbing, Toph worked around this obstacle, swiftly flattening and lengthening the only material she had a connection to. No way of knowing how far away the deranged spirit was, but apparently it was getting some kind of input from the web about her location, because it was clearly moving towards her. Just like a spider. Feeling a weird exultation that she knew must be emanating from Koh, the Blind Bandit worked even harder, aware of so much but not nearly enough, if she could only reach it…

"_I feel you."_

THERE! The bridge made contact with the ground, and she could see again.

Most of the landscape had settled into rubble once more, but there was more than just that. The web was centered on the spire that its creator had climbed, its parts now anchored both to it and the earth to form a sort of pyramid. If her arm weren't caught, Toph could have slid down to safety. Good to know. So then, her immediate concern lay in getting free, and with that in mind she reached behind her to…

"_There."_

At the same time, Toph got a blurry impression of something huge coming to rest over where she hung. Unconsciously, she looked up at it.

The back section of it came down lower. The part she knew sported two long stingers. Then something wound around her waist. The antennae, she realized too late. Connected to it now, it actually gave her a better picture of this thing. Enough to know that those lethal swords were pointed right at her heart.

"_Is your shell cracked? Rocks are no protection at this range anyway. It can't be helped, I suppose."_

Toph swallowed in a dry throat.

"_Try to understand. But if not, I'll explain it soon."_

The stingers stabbed forth.

Her hand came up, as though to protect her, when the points drove in.

They didn't even pierce the cloth.

"_WHAT?!"_

Between her heaving chest and the long spikes was a thick piece of metal.

A Fire Nation army helmet, compressed and flattened in on itself to an impenetrable durability.

Shocked, Koh drew back. And when he did, Toph swiftly formed her shield into a spike, attached it to a formation of rock and used her will to drive the whole thing up to where she gauged him to be.

The spearhead, much more durable than any stone, punched straight into Koh's abdomen, stabbing with as much force as she could possibly imagine into his guts.

He didn't scream. He had no voice in this world.

But in that instant, Toph knew wicked hate. And full-blown panic.

Her heart was pounding like a drum. The antennae released her. Another dagger was in her hand then, this one made of stone. She slashed anxiously up where her fingers were trapped, and the strand, far weaker than Koh's skin, parted instantly. Then Toph was sliding down, under the force of gravity and her own fervent skill. She bypassed the remaining sticky ropes, making it back to earth, then slashed the rest of it free from her hand as well as she could.

Some part of her fingers still prickled slightly, but she had regained her advantage, and dealt a grievous wound on her foe.

The central hub still stood. Toph did not dare retract it, for fear of being tangled in the descending web. So now they stood on their respective fields of expertise, her on the earth, him up in the web.

"_Damnyoudamnyoudamnyoudamnyou!!!"_

He sounded absolutely livid.

And then, that was replaced with shock, this time from his end.

"_Metal."_

Immediately Toph encased herself in a dome of rock, then burrowed down into the ground. But his voice in her head was undiminished.

"_You bent it. You used it. Another element. The __**fifth**__ element."_

Alone in the dark, she considered her situation.

"_Oh Toph."_

Her arm was feeling dislocated, but she could do something about that swiftly. Just a little pressure and then…

"_You magnificent girl."_

Say again?

She paused in her work.

"_You've done it. Truly. Not just indirectly, like with the others, but an actual complete control of __**two**__ elements! The surpassing of limits, casting off the lies they bound you with! Blessed Toph, do you see what you've done? Can you, of all people, SEE what this means for the world?"_

Toph had no idea where this line of thinking was headed. But it hardly mattered. Down here, she was safe. Enough air to work with for a while. All that remained was to figure out how to deal with Koh from this unreachable distance.

"_I wonder, how long until you learn to work with liquid metal? And from there, move to Waterbending? Or magma, to learn to Firebend, which is closest to Airbending in execution? So many wonderful secrets to explore. I am happy beyond measure to know that my work has not been in vain. And it only took a hundred years. _

He really was. She could feel it. His joy spread through her like sweet poison. The gasping young woman found herself crying, weeping tears of unadulterated ecstasy.

"_It is truly a vicious jest that I most deeply regret."_

Toph then wept for a different reason. Grief.

As suddenly as it came, the feeling was gone.

"_You are at peace now."_

It was true, Toph reflected. She really was.

"_There are no more concerns for you. Together, we have no further reason to fear or struggle. Whatever forces drove us are no longer evident."_

Complete relaxation. That was what she felt at this moment. Total bliss.

"_In our souls, we feel no trepidation. Neither anxiety, hope or need. Only perfect contentment."_

Toph sat smiling peacefully now.

In her chest, there began to grow a slight heaviness. In her head, Koh's dulcet tones continued unabated.

"_Worry not. Fear not. All is done for now. Time to rest our weary bodies. To lie down, and let all the cares die away."_

Her lungs were burning. Air. She should bring some down here, she knew that. But, the voice was speaking to her, and in its words there was a promise of peace and understanding. The impulse to act, to stave off death, could not motivate her past this pleasant blanket of empty soothing relaxation. He kept speaking, seconds ticking away underground, her heartbeat speeding up, and then starting to slowly die down.

"_Relinquish our burdens together, just for a few minutes. When it is all over, then we will be face to face at last. I can show you everything you ever wanted to know. We will watch the world change from the ease and comfort of our home. Back where we will soon both reside."_

It hurt to breathe now. Nothing there. Just poison. So maybe…

Maybe she should just stop altogether.

Part of her knew that was unwelcome. And yet, even thinking about it, there was no real desire in her to do anything to correct it. Simply a drifting, fading awareness of everything around her.

Toph prepared to die, without even caring why.

* * *

Sitting motionless in his web, Koh continued to chant his spell. This tactic was not one he would have thought feasible. For starters, for it to be effective, he himself could take no action. Little use in a life-or-death struggle. But the young marvel had placed herself into this position. He had not even had to force her. And now, there was no need to relinquish anything either. Excellent. The spike was still inside him, hampering his movements. To remove it would have cost him dearly.

She would perish soon. And they would go to the Spirit Realm together. Once back, Koh planned to question this unexpected miracle on a great many things. He was greatly curious about her now, and was willing to forgive her willfulness, arising as it did from the unimaginative ramblings of a passed-over nobleman with no great aspirations in life. She had actually been quite formidable. Certainly she presented a greater challenge than Kuruk, notwithstanding the nigh-hysterical blindness on his part.

The supreme entity almost wished it did not have to end like this. She would have been such a shining example for his future followers. They could have looked to her for further inspiration, with a bit of guidance from himself. It was still necessary. But all the same, a terrible, terrible blow to his plans. He felt the loss greatly.

That and more.

For it was then the jagged piece of metal stuck in his flesh blazed with the fiery agony of an erupting storm.

Koh toppled from his perch and struck the rocks, thrashing and coiling in agony. A second lance of pain speared him with cruelest force in the exact same spot as the spirit heard someone scream. His torment was redoubled.

"GIVE IT BACK!!"

* * *

Fading away, Toph was abruptly seized with the most indescribable horror she could imagine. This emotion served to reveal to her the current life-threatening predicament, and without hesitation she sprang up from her self-dug grave to reach the surface. The little Earthbender collapsed to her hands and knees, sucking in great lungfuls of sweet life-giving air into a pounding head and chest.

As she sought to regain her sense of self, someone screamed out her name.

He flew past the clouds, into the dim light of the afterlife proper. Up past the Tree, over its top. For just a moment, he saw a sad figure at the greatest heights, and its familiarity was so certain it pained him.

Iroh then found himself right back where this journey started, on the floor of the slaughterhouse gorge.

The surrounding area was a mess of torn rock now, something for which he could find no logical explanation. But it did answer one question. Someone under this blanket of shattered stone, the Conqueror's Soul had at last been extinguished, its magic stamped out by the devastation.

For further inexplicable occurrences, there seemed to be a giant spider's web festooned over his head like the tent of some ghastly circus.

Momentarily astounded by his sudden change in relative position, the aged adventurer studied that queer assemblage.

On closer examination, there was something sitting stock still in the web. An image of a great spider was his first impression, leaving Iroh shivering with a latent racial phobia. But upon further scrutiny, that noxious sight was disturbingly reminiscent of recent events. It actually looked like…

Before he could even finish the thought, he saw it.

A sight that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

On the front of this thing, there was a face. One that he recognized. And when he did, rage fired every nerve of his sore, aching body to a fevered pitch.

HE TOOK HER FACE!

With a scream, Iroh swept his arms up and unleashed the lightning from his fingertips.

The blazing bands both curved unexpectedly and struck the exact same spot on its underbelly, and the worm fell to squirm and writhe at his feet.

"GIVE IT BACK!" Iroh howled, tears and spittle streaking down his face, the very picture of a crazy old man.

He fired another bolt into the loathsome creature, and just then, the earth split open violently, and out came…

"TOPH!"

She collapsed, and he rushed to her with a cry of fear.

* * *

Far away, in another realm, the white ibis read its books patiently.

In one of them, he paused to study a pair of images.

The first showed an old man, balding and gray-haired but still fit. He knelt in a ruined canyon beside the body of a little girl, pale and fragile-seeming, eyes closed, skin stained with her own blood. Even in a frozen format, the howling grief etched into that man's face was undeniable, and unforgivable.

In the second was the opposite. Now the girl was clutching the hand of her fallen savior, blind eyes seeking desperately for some sign of life. But there was none to be found. Her jovial companion's merry heart had ceased to beat. In her face was loss, reproach, and ferocious anger.

The spirit shook his head sadly, in regret for all the pain the future might hold for mankind.

* * *

When he reached her side, to find the spunky child still very much alive, Iroh thought his heart must explode from relief. He draped an arm around her, seeking to steady her with his presence.

Toph started at the sudden contact, and very nearly lashed out at its source. But then her reawakened perceptions let her know who it was that held her. She turned her head in his direction.

"Iroh."

"Yes," the battle-hardened tactician took one hand gratefully in his own. "You…" He swallowed against the rising emotions, and blinked the tears from his eyes. "You must have wondered where I was. Just so you know, I had the same thought about you."

He said it half-jokingly. But where he expected some form of reciprocation, in her pale sweating face there was nothing but a blank slate. She trembled a little, and then shakily stood up with his aid.

"We have to…" and she turned towards where Koh lay jerking slightly. "Kill him. Right now."

Iroh rose to stand by her. "Let me, you should…"

"Shut up."

His mouth fell open slightly.

"I don't want to hear anything from you now that doesn't involve him being dead." Since he had met her, Iroh had never thought to hear Toph so angry. "He's got to die, and I mean RIGHT NOW, DAMMIT!! RIGHT NOW!"

A scream of rage, then the Earthbender drove her fists into the ground, and with a savage twist of her shoulders, ripped tons of rock from their resting place. She squeezed it into a ball, and brought it down on Koh's spread-eagled form, pounding her fists in unison with the strikes.

Seeing her fury, Iroh did not question. He inhaled, exhaled, and sent another lightning bolt into its belly. Koh thrashed under their combined assault, jerking like a dismembered insect. Neither let up. One blow after another, they directed all of their purpose into ending the malignant horror before them. Iroh let the passion he had been forced to hide from this evil being come out, roaring his long-nurtured hatred. But Toph was unnaturally silent during this execution.

"_Toph."_

She hit him again, and again.

"_Toph, don't pretend you don't know me."_

"Just shut up!" she whispered between clenched teeth.

Over and over. Without grace or style. Just murderous anger.

"_You are such a child."_

"I SAID SHUT UP, DAMN YOU!"

For the love of mercy, _why wouldn't it die?!!_

"_You're so very angry. But if that is all you have to offer…"_

And Toph howled. "_WILL YOU SHUT YOUR NASTY MOUTH AND JUST DIE PLEASE?"_

"…_then you must know what I am feeling towards the two of you."_

Hatred. There was that. As well as a slight hint of pity, and an even smaller amount of fear.

But more than any of these, Koh felt regret.

"_I behaved poorly, I admit to that. As thoughtless as any human. Being mortal is more limiting than I remembered. But that old Firebender reminded me of something."_

And relief.

"_There are numerous options available, and a great deal of time to consider them. No need to be hasty. Why not wait a little longer? We're sure to meet again."_

Koh leapt upright then, smashing the wrecking ball into dust and fragments. It hooked onto the underside of the web once more, looking down at them with Toph's unseeing eyes.

"_I can afford to be generous."_

The mask of her stolen self glowed green, and from it sprang a spotlight to where his latest victim stood.

Taken off guard, Iroh still reacted quickly. He lunged forward and grabbed Toph's shoulders, intending to drag her away from this eldritch illumination. But the girl was immovable, fused to the rock on which she stood. On her face was a lost, wondering look, drenched in the color most commonly associated with her people. It bathed her in spectral radiance, causing her fabulous eyes to sparkle and glow like a cat's.

Her elderly benefactor could not take the time to appreciate this sight. Instead he raised his head, inhaled deeply, and spewed a searing plume of flame straight up. It bathed Koh in heat far greater than any furnace, but the degraded spirit did not react. The spike in its stomach oozed and melted before falling out, causing Koh to flinch, and still the viridian radiance continued to pour from his shining featureless face.

So Iroh changed tactics. The scope of his attack shifted so that it was directed not at Koh, but the perch from which he hung. In seconds, the web was blazing. With a few quick, purposeful movements, Iroh's dragon breath then proceeded to turn the entire silken construct into a burning torch.

As he had hoped, the substance proved highly susceptible to this type of assault. In just a few seconds, the whole thing was reduced to glowing fragments, and Koh was cast down to join them once again. Before he did, though, the light cut off.

The disturbing hulk lay unmoving, its eye-pouch closed tight.

Anxiously Iroh moved to stand before Toph.

She blinked a few times. Uncertain, like nothing quite made sense. Then, when Iroh's presence became evident, she reached out and grasped the front of his robes for support.

"Are you all right?" the bereft scholar whispered.

The fists tightened. Tears trickled down her cheeks. And a slow grin spread over those pink lips.

"Hey, old-timer," she murmured sleepily. "I think I'm back."

With a shout of joy, he hugged her tight to his chest. Toph returned the favor, giggling in happiness. The dear comrades held one another, oblivious to anything other than a deep-rooted sense of relief.

At last Iroh pulled away, looking on the joyous face of his unexpected assistant. She smiled back, focusing somewhere on his chest.

He chuckled. "You look…"

Claws scrabbled over stone. He whipped about, just as a wall of granite sprang skywards before him. Behind it, Koh reared up like a scorpion, and drove his poisonous tail downwards.

The blow shivered the desperate fortification to rubble, and lanced straight towards him.

Iroh watched death approaching very slowly, his body unable to react fast enough. But his mind was working perfectly. An image flashed through it, of two possible futures. Two deaths, but only for one of them apiece. Actually, he reflected, this is how I hoped it would be. Maybe now she will be safe. If the gods will grant an old man's last request, let it be so.

The prince of his people did not look away or close his eyes. He wanted to see everything now. All that this world had to offer him. Everything he had experienced or ever could have. He wanted it all. Those last moments of life were what he held on to upon seeing death's approach, hoping only that the child behind him would be safe.

A slight breeze blew through his hair.

_You…understand…_

The soft rustle of air became a violent rush, as the earth flung him off to the side with as little effort as a pebble.

But his eyes remained open. And so Iroh saw what happened next.

Toph was firmly braced into the earth, gloves of stone wrapped around her hands. She stood before the monster's attack, facing its darkly looming spirit with her own restored one. There was a light in her face and eyes that spoke of enduring resistance, and dauntless courage.

The two spikes came at her. She brought her hands up to meet them, fighting with all her prodigious talent to keep the durable mitts from shattering under the unearthly power of this enemy.

He watched those deadly daggers halt against the selfless resolve of the earth goddess. Time seemed to halt, letting him see everything so very clearly. Her face, her strength, her determination.

The spell broke, and Koh's venom-laced stingers drew back.

No one looked more surprised than Toph.

She turned her head to Iroh, a loose grin decorating her features.

Then she collapsed, drops of blood falling from her palms.

And he thought he might never stop screaming.

The son of kings charged forward, lightning sprouting from his fingers. He sent it flying at Koh.

The beast crouched down low, and spread its talons wide. Electricity struck and danced over those gleaming rods, arcing to form a circle that framed Koh's open face.

Within that dancing imprisoned light there flashed a set of golden eyes that belonged to the only other living mortal the Facestealer had in his arsenal.

The face of Firelord Ozai.

Koh sneered wickedly, and brought the tips of his talons together with a sharp clap.

A bolt of white lightning streaked forth, hitting the ground before Iroh with concussive force. He flew once again, tumbling and spinning, awash in pain, ears ringing savagely in his head. Finally, the old fighter rolled to a halt to lie coughing and gasping.

Koh glanced away, back towards where Toph lay. Over the young man's face there passed a look of pained regret, and he clucked his tongue in remonstrance, giving a sad shake of his head, before turning and advancing on his intended target.

Iroh tried to rise, and gasped. A flare of unwelcome feeling in his forearm told him that it might be broken. He had never felt so heavy and useless in his life. But all the same, he once again made the attempt.

Failure.

Iroh knew it, and collapsed once more.

What had ever made him think he could do this? He had overestimated himself once again. And just like last time, a child he loved would have to pay the price. The defeated general hated himself so much at that moment, he could not even make the attempt to save his own life. Better to just lie here and die.

A wind whispered in his ear once more. It almost seemed to speak to him, saying…

_No._

_Not again._

The breeze grew stronger.

_Not more children dead._

Through the canyon then, there blew a mighty gust.

_You have to save them. Life is precious. You understand us now. _

It became a whistling whip.

_We…_

And then a howling gale.

_We forgive you, son of fire!_

The force of that stream of air collected about the prostrate body, and then focused on something more.

A monster was coming towards them now. Something familiar in it. There. That face. So similar, so very, very similar to that of the man who had stood over their burned, broken bodies decades ago. The man who took their lives, and then their children. The Firelord's wicked son!

A thousand ghosts howled in fury, and rushed at Koh.

The arrogant mask smirked at them, as if questioning what such phantoms could possibly hope to accomplish.

They stampeded at him, and he came on, prepared for their assault. Just as they were about to meet head-to-head…

The river of air split and diverged, like a river. The wind diminished.

Koh paused. What were they doing?

Beneath him, something stirred. The grand spirit could feel forces building under his blind spot. He frowned, feeling uncertainty now.

While he stood debating, the earth gave a slight jerk. His legs braced themselves involuntarily.

_HELP US!_

And the spirits that lurked in the rock heard their fellows, giving all their strength into a firm push.

For just a moment, Koh was raised an inch off his feet.

Then the dead Airbenders struck.

From underneath the monster, a miniature typhoon erupted. Taking advantage of his being ever-so briefly airborne, those resolute spirits called upon their old ally to fashion a tornado that lifted Koh skyward and spun him around and around. Within that tiny hurricane, the stalker of faces raged and scrabbled desperately for some form of purchase, his handsome features made repellant by rage.

While all this was happening, Iroh thought.

They forgive me.

For what? I never did anything. I couldn't rescue anyone. I'm no savior. Just fat old Iroh, who never does anything right. No one listens to me. I'm a dried-out husk of a man, regurgitating useless stories and slurping down tea like it was a liquor to soothe my aching heart. A bloated aristocrat spouting off nonsense. What more was he at the last?

"_You are, in a sense, our avatar, chosen to act in our stead…"_

Words. Merely words. Didn't they know words never saved anyone?

"_So remember what Koh reminded you of, and the wisdom that we have offered."_

No purpose in my life. No use. No wisdom to offer anyone, or if so, no one willing to hear it.

Caught up in self-loathing, some part of Iroh felt that he was reaching for something. Still? What's the point? The truth of the matter is that I…

"_When you spoke to Koh recently, he displayed a face that touched something deep within you. Try and remember what that was. The truth will save more than just your life."_

Truth? What could that mean? How had that evil creature done anything but tease and torment him, with faces of people long dead and others pilfered from his past. His father, his brother, his friend, his…

Friend?

Iroh's eyes cracked open.

Who?

Was there another face he had recognized somehow?

"_You're hot-blooded."_ Valshamr wasn't the first person to tell him that.

Yes. There had been one face, hadn't there? It had been… a woman. One that looked strikingly like a Fire Nation healer who had accompanied the Firelord's heir on his campaigning days. A member of the famed Firebending female medical corps, the Touch of Fire, using their subtle arts to deal with diseases and poisons, and to aid in healing injuries to the body. He remembered, she had even taught him some of their techniques during the long trip to Ba Sing Se, so as to be better prepared for the great battle ahead.

"_I like to learn new things."_

That was what he told her.

"_Fire burns, but heat can heal,"_ she had told him.

Iroh remembered.

A few seconds later he was on his feet, stumbling across the broken terrain, ignoring the furious battle of wills in the sky and the pain of his broken arm. No telling how long those wind-wraiths could keep their enemy contained. He drew beside Toph, and dropped to his knees.

The stone gloves had crumbled, revealing two small bleeding holes in her palms. Her eyes were closed, her moon-white face peaceful. A sob tore from within Iroh, rage and grief marring his features with self-recrimination and a wrath towards her attacker that held no hope of forgiveness.

Almost afraid to, he then took her hands in his own.

Faintly, beneath his fingers, there came a pulse. The spirit's venom had not done its work yet. So there was still a chance.

Iroh took a deep breath, ignoring everything but the steady proof of her continued existence. He concentrated on that, feeling how his own flame of life responded to match hers. There was no room for weakness, no use for doubt. When you heal someone, it is about teaching their body how to never surrender, to persevere past the point when anyone else would have given up. Waterbenders were well-renowned for their recuperative abilities, but theirs was not the only tribe that had seen further benefit from these arts beyond conflict. In the Fire Nation, hardly anyone died from illness. They were just that good, those Firebender lifesavers. It was something their people prided themselves on.

And it was time for that legacy to prove its worth.

With that, Iroh sent his energy surging into Toph's skin. It was heat, and life. Specific healing was not something he knew how to do. What he had been taught was the replenishing of the patient's own reserves of life. That was their element, after all. The Sun Warriors had tutored him in its rudimentary basics, and afterwards he had observed that same conscious understanding of their gifts' true core in the work of his country's faith healers. The hate and anger that had marred Firebending since before Sozin's time was not evident in such altruistic acts. He had observed that the Touch of Fire order contained some of the most powerful practitioners of their craft in all the world. But they hardly ever used it in battle. That was not their way.

And it was not the path of carnage that their disciple walked now. Instead he sought out Toph's fevered temperature, struggling vainly to burn away the vile invasive substance clinging to every drop of blood in her body. To this conflict he added his own efforts, increasing and regulating the fever to otherwise-unhealthy limits. Toph's skin flared with a sudden flash of heat, and sweat was pouring off her. But he did not let up. Their hearts were beating at the same pace now, him giving, and her receiving. Sometimes, in rare cases, an order member would throw themselves so deeply into a healing that even if it proved sufficient, the savior would not have long to live afterwards. That was a risk Iroh was willing to take.

No experience or real understanding of this toxin, but it was safe to say that if left untreated it would prove fatal. The only hope was to charge in, depending on both of their unbridled wills to survive.

Her heartbeat was slowing! It was no use. Another dead child. Another ghost to haunt his waking hours, even if he survived. Just like Lu Ten.

_I never blamed you._

The grieving parent gave a start, even as he continued his ministrations.

_It's not too late. You have to tell her, father. Tell her how sorry I am. Don't make me face her again, not so soon. Our family never quits. We're the best in the world, remember? If there is any Firebender alive who can do this, it's you. You have to save the children, the ones no one else can. You've grieved enough for me. What I ask now is that you find something to celebrate. And believe me, she is worth celebrating. You know it. Now find a reason again, father. Find a reason for you to be PROUD OF YOURSELF! BECAUSE I ALREADY AM, AND ALWAYS WILL BE!_

There was more than his own strength now. Someone stood behind him, a warm presence bespeaking love and compassion. Those feelings surged through his worn frame, firing his heart with a pulsing roar. That infusion of energy was converted into an outpouring of life-force, great as the sun, surging into the veins of the earth's most cherished daughter.

Love and life stroked her heart, caressing it, encouraging it to continue beating. At the same time, a vengeful fire crackled through her bloodstream, focusing on the lingering malignant influence of Koh. The murderous venom surged and flowed, a deadly serpent waiting to strike. He could almost see it there, hissing in that same voiceless hush that the Facestealer affected in their world. There was no hiding his emotions now. All the bitterness and pain was focused on that hate-filled presence, and Iroh reached his burning will forth.

The viper struck, and he caught it by the throat!

It reared forward, snapping for his life, but he crushed hands of flame around it, seeking to snuff out its existence. The menace flailed, its sole purpose being to kill without mercy. And into this life-stealing ichor he poured the purest rejection of its being that could ever exist.

Koh's venom wailed in polluted misery, calling out to its master.

Then between one heartbeat and the next it burst into flame, quickly dissolving into charred ash that was swept away.

After that Iroh concentrated on bolstering her own healing system. The sensation of having an ally had passed. No more did it feel as though someone had his back. Had it been real, or just his imagination? He might never really know. The only thing the exhausted healer understood for certain was that he had done his best, and won this battle. More than Koh's poison had died this day. At last, the feeling of regret and recrimination that had blighted his soul for eight years had been purged, and replaced with something that healed his heart.

For his efforts, he was rewarded by a jerking cough within her chest, and the sight of Toph's sea-green eyes opening to the world once more.

"Oh sweet spirits," he choked, and sobbed. "Thank you."

Toph weakly lifted a hand, to which he extended his own.

Before their fingertips could touch, a mountain slammed into Iroh's side.

Koh's liberated form swung up in a wide arc, carrying him in its grip, and then tossed the Firebender high into the air.

He came crushing down a hundred feet away. This time there was too much pain to even register where it was coming from. It felt like every bone in that sixty-year old body might have broken. Iroh coughed up blood and spit, then lay there in agony.

The spirits of the Airbenders had been dispersed heavenwards, their final efforts proving no use. The Breaker of the Cocoon of Lies stood erect on his back legs, front segments waving to and fro. A tyrant's mask looked down on the weakened girl who had now risen to a sitting position, one hand pressed to her still-throbbing temple. For a moment, he considered ending her life right there. Nothing could stop him now. But those thoughts he recognized as false, an egregious error brought on by the limitations of the flesh. It was no accident that she had survived his unintended assault. Clearly this mortal was meant to serve a grand purpose within his envisioned future. He was not one to disregard signs so obvious. And needless death had never been his goal.

Orange-gold eyes glowed like coals, while sharp talons pawed the air eagerly.

Nevertheless, denying your worst impulses lead to untruths.

So before he left, there was one thing Koh honestly felt he could not do without.

The unnatural invertebrate bent down, and Ozai's lips gave his liberated conquest a small peck on her cheek.

_Try not to exert yourself_, he thought gently, though there was no way she could hear it now.

Having said this, he turned and began crawling towards Iroh.

The old man lay where he had fallen.

The little girl bent in on herself.

The spirit-made-flesh advanced across the secluded space.

The ghosts watched them all.

Another murder. A helpless victim. They felt it coming. Nothing they could do to prevent it.

At least not directly.

The spirits in the sky called out to one another. They had given all they had to try and cage the beast, and it was not enough. But creativity had always been their greatest strength in life. So when Koh scattered them towards the heavens, they saw a chance to act indirectly.

In those last few precious minutes, they had done just that.

Far overhead, something happened.

Koh the Facestealer eye's squinted in sudden consternation. At the same time, a peculiar sensation washed over his form. Toph sensed it too. A gentle warmth that she attributed to only one thing.

But none of them felt this occurrence more deeply than Iroh.

Confused, all three of them then looked to the sky.

Far, far overhead, the fallen Airbenders had played their last hand.

The heavy shadows had parted slightly. And shining down into that cold barren landscape, free at last from the mantle of brooding storm clouds that sought to cover it, came the rays of the late afternoon sun.

It was so very bright. Like the light of truth. Koh, who was unused to this existence, looked straight at that blazing orb, and found himself momentarily blinded once again. He stopped, shaking his head to dispel this feeling.

That light reached the other two living things present. Through Toph's darkness, and Iroh's pain, someone spoke to them. They saw it together, a figure both regal and wise. Dressed in the robes of Fire Nation nobility, his beard was long and white, hair held in a small metal clasp fashioned like living flame. The face was lined, and the eyes were wise with age and sorrow. He knew them both, and they recognized him, without ever having met.

He looked at each in turn, and in that gaze they saw pain, and grief, and hope.

To Iroh, he spoke.

_Free my friend._

To Toph, he spoke.

_Save my successor._

And to both, he pleaded with them.

_Protect my descendants._

Then he was swept away from them, falling into flaming ruin, dying in the erupting fury of a volcano gone dormant long before either of them was born.

Inside Iroh, something awakened with the touch of the great daystar.

Before his eyes there appeared a mighty falcon, its body awash in flame. It looked at him, and he remembered seeing it once before, just before he and Lu Ten met. His only son. The joy of his life. Gone, taken away by a meaningless war, a war created by that… THING! The same degenerate nightmare that had gone on to steal his boy's face when there was no one there to protect him!

And it was right here! Right in front of his eyes at last!

His body was broken. Ribs snapped and crushing his lungs, it was so hard to breathe. Firebending came from the breath that signaled life. But this… this was something MORE! Filling his heart, lungs, and throat, it begged to be free.

Iroh's eyes came ablaze, gleaming with power unmatched in one hundred years of waiting. They met those that belonged to Koh, whose stolen sight turned on his enemy at the sudden flare of spiritual power.

The falcon screamed at him, and Iroh echoed its words.

_MURDERER! _They both cried. _SERPENT_ _TRAITOR OF FAMILY! WE WILL HAVE OUR __**VENGEANCE!!**_

Koh drew back, uncertain now. The accusation had the affect of dimming his bloodlust. For certain, there was no great reason to continue this conflict. Perhaps it would be best after all, he thought, to forego such needless theatrics, and concentrate on surviving in this world. At that moment it was no longer a question of truth, but self-preservation. Quickly the monstrous deity scuttled back, a look of cautious trepidation etched on Ozai's brow. _Run!_ Something told him. _Run away, this is not safe, flee to fight another day. Just RUN!_

He obeyed that instinctive command of life, and shot off, moving towards the high snow-capped circle of mountains that held them here. Once he reached them, he could escape, and oversee the Avatar's destruction from a safe distance. After that happened, Ozai would die as well, allowing him to return to his home and begin the great work. It was necessary, for his world, he told himself! It had to be done his way, for the benefit of those living and those not! For the sake of all!

That unseen solar radiance had also warmed Toph, bringing new life to her sluggish mind and limbs. Everything was visible to the Earthsight, Iroh's location, her own, and Koh's.

_Please end this._

_Set us free._

The ghosts of the Earthbenders spoke to her. She couldn't move from that spot. Toph felt anchored there, one with the stone. So she knew everything about it. How it moved, what its properties were, all of it! Koh was getting away. Nothing they tried had been enough to kill him. And this could be their only chance! If that demon were permitted to live, then Aang would assuredly die. The hundred-year war would end with the death of the Avatar, and victory for the Fire Nation. They couldn't allow that! It was their decision to live here, not that monster's, and too many good people had died to reach this point. Their one chance! Don't let it get away! Protect them! Protect EVERYONE!!

They saw once more, the previous Avatar's final moments on earth, before the balance was broken, buried under the fiery blood of their world.

Toph and Iroh both knew, at the same time.

The sun beat down on that spot, and then…

Earth and Fire joined together.

Divine flame erupted from Iroh's hands, sinking into the ground.

Ancient rock bent and flowed to the call of Toph's prayer.

Koh raced for the hills, striving to escape, when suddenly the earth cracked violently beneath him, its crust tearing up and flinging him into the air. His mouth opened in a silent scream of rage, the eyes flashed with scornful pride and disdain of this feeble effort.

As he fell back, that face was bathed in a red light.

Beneath him, there was now unveiled the glow of a new-born caldera.

A sea of magma bubbled and flowed. Rock, crushed by the Earthbender and liquefied by the Firebender. The joining of two elements. It was into that stew of nature's destructive power that the grotesque insect dropped, helplessly flailing and hissing in panic.

The lava pool swallowed Koh up, sending droplets of molten earth into the firmament.

For a time, there was only the sluggish agitation of the planet's lifeblood, and the beating of two hearts.

Then Koh reared up.

He was burning red, so much that he seemed a part of the volcanic display. The plate segments on his back were cracked and steaming, his legs and claws were dripping and melted, and flames erupted out of the hole in his underbelly. Lava seeped from the seams around Koh's eye-patch, and within that weeping death-mask, Ozai's face contorted into frightful silent screams. His beard was on fire, and so were his eyebrows. The ancient outworlder fell backward into his roiling red and black deathtrap. Flinging himself from one side to another, he lurched and swam like a drowning man, seeking the edge of the bubbling cauldron.

All of Toph's and Iroh's will was bent into keeping that furnace going. They could not find it in themselves to trap Koh within it. They were not Avatars. Even with vengeance and duty on their sides, it took all that they had just to make this happen. Desperately, the Firebender increased the heat to the maximum limit, and his counterpart sought to pull the devil deep into their burning embrace.

But it was no use. In spite of it all, Koh still lived, and in moments he would climb out of the hellish pit. It was all in vain. It was…

_Free._

The breath caught in Toph's throat.

Koh's claws had the lip of the pool.

_You have freed us._

_Our child._

_Thank you._

And with that, the fallen Earthbenders answered the call to battle.

Before Iroh's astonished eyes, a tongue of molten rock whipped out from the center, and wrapped around Koh. It pulled him away from safety, claws digging futilely into the rock. To the human's desperate eyes, he thought he could make out people in the caldera. Formed of lava, men and women both, they grappled with the vile spirit, dragging it away from its only salvation. Like the guardians of hell, these unfettered souls denied any hope of salvation to their true killer, which had been unmasked at last.

The entire hollow was lit up like a furnace, the color of blood and shadows.

At the center of that earthly conflagration, the Slayer of Deceit burned.

The individual segments of his legs broke and sloughed off from his body. Flames erupted from the gaps between his scorching red armor.

And at the top of that fearsome inferno's spire, the face of its last living victim melted off and slid in rivulets down the sides.

Beneath it, something moved.

"PLEASE!"

The mouths screamed.

"SPARE ME! I BEG OF YOU!"

More of that secret visage was revealed as it continued to call forth in its own living pleading voice.

"I WILL LET YOU LIVE! TEACH YOU ALL THAT IS MINE TO KNOW! I WILL EVEN RELEASE THEM! YOUR FATHER, AZULON, AND…"

The true face of Koh swung toward Iroh, and its old foe blanched at the horror of the apparition's naked features.

"YOUR SON, LU TEN!"

He heard its promises, and knew them to be true.

But the truth meant nothing to him.

Iroh gave it his all. Toph reciprocated. And from the core of that boiling rock prison, there came a titanic eruption, the melted bedrock launching straight up to inundate Koh in its deathly embrace.

That fountain continued for several seconds. Somewhere deep within it, a long, inhuman wail sounded.

Then the clouds above closed up.

The flame of vengeance in Iroh's heart instantly died out.

Their union ended, and the plume of lava dropped back. In just a few seconds, the forced volcano had reverted into blackened glass and lumpy billows of slag, though the air above it continued to waver and dance from residual heat.

Towards the heart of that display, there stood something that resembled a lightning-struck tree. Charred branches sprouted from its highest tip, like greedy fingers reaching for the sun's illumination. There was no life to be seen in it.

At that very moment, Iroh collapsed.

The exhausted soldier heard Toph faintly calling his name. He could not answer back. There was no breath left in him. His chest was crushed, the bone pushing tightly against his air sacks. But strangely, even that could not quench his joy. It was all over.

At last.

His eyesight was gone. Was this death's approach? Strange, he had not expected it to be so quick. One would have hoped there would be a more gradual loss of sensation. Perhaps that unexpected gift from the spirits had taken more from him than he had thought. But although he could no longer see, he already knew how this scene must look. An old man lay dying on the floor, and beside him, a beautiful child wept at the loss. That was the future he had striven to achieve, because the alternative could never be allowed. When she had first chosen to fight by his side, Iroh had secretly promised himself that no matter what the cost, Toph would survive and live her own life. There would be no more children's grave markers for him to mourn. That age of conflict had finally come to an end. This was how it was meant to be. With the death of the old, the young could finally take their rightful place. Order had been restored to the world.

The darkness behind his eyelids was transforming into white light. For a moment Iroh wished he could still speak, at least to try and comfort Toph. He would point out to her that they were now both without vision, though he somewhat doubted she would appreciate the joke. Still, the thought made him smile.

And with that final act, the redeemed heart of a great man ceased to beat.

* * *

There was comfort, and peace. A blooming of senses he had never even suspected of existing. Iroh moved through a great mass of familiar beings, people that had passed away long ago. They greeted him, welcoming their fellow guest into the space beyond life's doors. Some that rushed to greet him were less easily recognized, but when they thanked the son of the Firelord for helping to break their earthly bonds of wrath and despair, he knew who they must be, and accepted the welcomes of the airy ghosts. The unearthly spirits too voiced their gratitude and appreciation for what he had accomplished. For the first time in many years, Iroh was hailed as a hero.

Soon there appeared two that he had longed to see again for many years. His wife, as lovely now as she had ever been with him, and standing at her side, their only son. Lu Ten smiled gladly at his father, his true features revealed to be no longer marred by the painful marks of his passing. Father and son hugged in that twilight plane, knowing them both to be freed from a horrible burden, and that they had each other to thank for it.

When they parted, Iroh then proceeded to encase his wife in a loving embrace. She teased him about his forked beard, and he could not help but be abashed. To keep up appearances, he asked challengingly whether spirits were still able to kiss.

The love of his life smiled, and brought her face closer to his. Iroh gladly complied, and she demonstrated the answer most convincingly.

He then prepared to tell her everything that had happened up 'til then.

* * *

He was being kissed.

By unfamiliar lips.

Breath was being forced into his lungs.

"One, two, three!"

Pressure on his chest, and he coughed violently, tasting blood.

"HA!" someone shrieked in delight.

For a time, it was all he could do to just lie there and breathe. Everything about him just felt… wrong somehow. Like his body was ten times heavier, and in very bad shape to boot. Pain was something he tried not to focus on.

After all, the sight of the beaming young woman kneeling over him served to warrant all of Iroh's attention.

His tongue was thick and cumbersome, but he finally managed to get the word out.

"Toph?"

The blind billionaire patted his cheek affectionately.

"You better believe it, Tea Chugger!"

He winced as stars seemed to dance before his vision. This made no sense. He was dead, there was no question about it! So then…

"How…?"

"Thank Aang when you see him." She sounded slightly out of breath. "He taught me this Airbender trick for restarting a person's heart and lungs when they gave out. You know at the time, I thought he just wanted to try and kiss me, but I guess there was some truth to it after all. You can't blame me for being suspicious, though. Featherhead is really keen on girls, especially pretty ones like yours truly."

It still made no sense. "But my ribs…" He twitched his fingers. "And my arm. They were broken. I couldn't breathe at all."

His guardian angel cocked a disapproving look in his general direction. "What, you think Waterbenders are the only ones who can fix people? Earthbending has its healing aspects too, you know. We can't close wounds or repair organs, but there's something in bones that responds to us. Someone who's fought in as many tournaments as me had better know how to handle a fractured femur. I can knit them back together, no problem."

It was an astonishing admission. Iroh had been completely unaware of this branch of Earthbending. For a while, all he could do was stare at her while she panted slightly, apparently suffering another air shortage after all that talking.

Then he tried to sit up, and immediately regretted it.

"Easy," Toph advised as she took his hand. "I told you, there's nothing I can do for bleeding. If you're hurt as much inside as I think, we'd better find ourselves a Waterbender and quick."

"It's not so bad," he sought to downplay his injuries, which was ruined by another pained cough. The human lie detector was apparently unamused by his attempt at prevarication and the state of his health.

"Yeah, whatever," she scoffed. "Just lie back for now. I'm going to get us both out of here."

A stone cart then sprouted ready-made from below them. Iroh lay in the bed, while Toph sat in front to steer. She rolled the mechanism forward, slowly at first, then building up speed when her senses informed her that her patient could take it.

Iroh glanced off to the side. "Wait!" he spoke urgently, and coughed.

Their carriage drew to a halt. "What is it?"

He did not respond at first, only peered out at the secluded plain.

Sprouting from that denuded soil, the lonely black obelisk remained unchanged. He watched it for over a minute, but it gave no sign of movement. Still, a lingering fear persisted. Like a child lying in bed, afraid of the monsters that might leap out from under it at any second.

His driver reached over and touched his leg.

"He's dead, Iroh. I can feel it. Koh is gone for good this time. No one else has to die."

She sounded sure of herself. But the retired tea-server thought he could detect an undercurrent of fear in her voice. Could they really know for certain? Who's to say what something like this would involve? He had been wrong about so much, it felt reassuring to have someone else voice what he had so fervently hoped to hear.

That ashen monolith continued to sit quietly. Unbeknownst to Toph, at the top of that charcoal husk, a face of unspeakable terror continued to stare up at the sky. Lucky for her to be blind. Iroh knew with chilling certainty that those alien features would be the source of many nightmares in the years to come.

"Iroh?"

He closed his eyes, and turned his head away.

"It's nothing. We should go now. Our friends still need us."

"…Okay. You're right."

With a nod, she sent their transport moving forward again.

They exited a canyon now devoid of any souls whatsoever, be they living or dead.

Shortly after they left, a light rain began to fall from the darkly overcast sky. The droplets hit the charred earth, sending up little puffs of steam and flecks of dust. The seemingly burnt tree remained immobile.

After a while, the rain increased in intensity. Thousands of tiny blades hammered at the surface of the twisted spire.

Then with a soft sliding sound, it broke into pieces and collapsed to the ground.

Like the remnants of a campfire, the fragments crumbled away into ash.

And the frightening truth hidden behind the masks of Koh the Facestealer was swept away by the deluge.

_**NON FIN**__…_


	7. The Triumph of Truth

Iroh felt certain that, were Koh still alive, it would be almost embarrassing for the warmonger to learn how quickly his hundred-year scheme had come to a close.

The incapacitated elder lay in a hospital bed in the medical wing of his country's military headquarters. Though he had initially declined the offer of a private room, a certain young Waterbender girl had stubbornly insisted he not be exposed to the rapt attentions and persistent entreaties of his fellow war veterans. This last was a title that now applied to virtually every male of the Fire Nation between the ages of 16 and 50. Even a week following an official armistice between all nations, Iroh was still dubbed too severely injured to risk exerting himself by constantly regaling his well-wishers and admirers with a first-hand account of his efforts to end the hostilities.

As he continued his recuperation, the Fire Nation's hero pondered whether or not he should have expressed greater restraint around some of the more comely female well-wishers and nurses._ I'm an old man,_ Iroh reflected while breathing in the air warmed by braziers to protect against the growing chill of autumn. _Surely I am entitled to a bit of pleasurable company?_ As misfortune would have it, though, Katara had walked in on him precisely when he was receiving two admittedly chaste kisses on the cheek from a pair of ladies that just happened to be snuggled up in bed with him. It wasn't as if they weren't fully clothed, even, but his self-appointed physician had assumed an expression of cross exasperation and proceeded to shoo the disheartened maidens from the room. After that Iroh learned that he had been placed on a severely restricted visitation schedule.

The patient sighed. There were more ways to heal than one, he thought forlornly. A more experienced lady would know that. Perhaps he should consider making an unscheduled sojourn off the grounds to more… accommodating locales.

A sudden twinge of pain in his lungs served to dampen any such daydreams.

Iroh settled back into the cushions to gaze up at the peaked ceiling, breathing slowly and evenly as he had been instructed. The gentle fragrance of burning incense lent a hypnotic air of recuperation to every lungful.

It also made him sweat slightly, a pall of lingering fear from recent events. The specifics of his nightmares always faded fast, though he knew they would return. Some people always had to get in a parting shot.

Iroh was not unmindful of his situation. Nor was he ungrateful. In point of fact, he knew he was lucky to simply be alive.

For a while there, he had felt certain that his time had come. Even with Toph's expert mending of his broken physique, his own admittedly amateur healing efforts on her had combined with the long days of travel following the culmination of their dangerous quest to result in a perilous state of health for the depleted nobleman. After a few hours he had lapsed into a fitful state of fevered sleep, plagued by visions of death and bloodshed that seemed to span before his own life, and beyond. There were monstrous entities and disturbing vistas filled with the most savage displays of gut-wrenching torment he had ever seen. Crimes committed, secrets buried, lies upon lies compounding together to form a blanket of falsehoods that served to keep whole nations cowed and bereft of any real hope. All this he saw, until it had seemed that there could be no chance of retaining his sanity and the only logical choice was to descend into a poisoned pit of madness. In doing so, he would be protected from the insidious images that plagued his every moment, whether waking or sleeping, he could no longer tell.

At the very instant when he was about to take the first step on that twisted path, he found his head was being raised, and cool water was offered for him to drink. He did so automatically, draining the stone cup. A measure of sense seemed to come back to his surroundings, and Iroh felt a damp rag being placed upon his fevered brow. Swaying over him was a stalwart young girl's face, blind eyes filled with tears.

"I don't care what you're feeling right now," he heard her whisper fiercely. "Don't you dare die, old man! If you do, I'll go into the Spirit World and drag you back out, and then I'm gonna pound your sorry butt. _Don't think I can't do it, because we both know I can!_"

That was true. She had done it. And the thought of her doing it to him made Iroh laugh.

The brief moment of self-deprecating levity changed something for him.

After this the illness seemed to lessen slightly, and the downtrodden patient started to take more impressions from their surroundings. When he first felt capable of speaking, he almost ran them off the road upon asking Toph how long he had been out. She quickly apologized for the near-accident, but in her telling features was a look of intense gratitude, along with pained relief. It made Iroh sad to think that she had been so worried about his condition. But there was something else he realized then.

Unfortunately his body chose that moment to pass out, so he did not have time to consider the implications of his epiphany.

It was over a day after leaving the graveyard of the spirits that Iroh suddenly awoke to a sensation of raw overwhelming health and power.

As far as he could tell, they were still traveling in Toph's ostrich-horseless carriage, somewhere in the rolling plains of the northern Earth Kingdom. No civilization of any sort to be found. For a time, he could not think of any reason for this abrupt about-face in regards to his health.

Then the son of fire turned his gaze skyward, and in the red glow of morning, he saw a crimson eye gazing unblinkingly down upon him.

After one hundred years, the harbinger of doom had returned.

Sozin's Comet flamed in the sky.

And somewhere out there, he knew the Firelord was facing the Avatar.

It was strange, because in spite of everything he knew and feared about this day, there was really only one thought in Iroh's mind.

_Ozai…_

_Please don't die._

"A brother's love," he whispered.

"HEY!"

Iroh jumped.

Standing at the entrance to his sickroom was a short girl dressed in royal red.

"What are you mumbling about, Dragon-Breath?"

He sank back with a groan. At which point, Toph smiled and strolled leisurely over, settling herself on the side of the bed.

"I heard you chased off some of the nurses, and Katara is busy with family problems. So I thought, 'Let's head over there, see if he's rational.' And here you are talking to yourself." She clicked her teeth and gave a dismal shake of her head. "Guess I'll just have to recommend they cancel your release date."

Iroh peered at her with keen mistrust. "Are you certain Koh gave you back your face? Because you are behaving quite heartlessly."

The national hero of the Earth Kingdom flopped back, resting her hands on her stomach and crossing her legs to wave lazily. "Don't worry, I'm not going to do it. Your doctors are on board with this. We're all settled for the party tomorrow anyway, and I don't want to explain to everyone why one of the guests of honor didn't show up. I've got enough pests buzzing around me with all their questions."

Iroh chuckled. "I'm sure you do."

Since the cessation of hostilities and their return to the capitol, Toph was considered something of a darling among the Fire Nation populace. Her blindness brought out the mother in every woman over the age of 13, causing her to be subjected to an endless barrage of gifts, advice, and the unrequested services of maidservants trained in all sorts of embarrassing practices. Young men of a certain social standing were quick to pick up on her being the only daughter of the Earth Kingdom's wealthiest family, and for the first time in her life Toph had been forced to deal with the attentions of the opposite sex outside of a bone-jarring wrestling match. More than anything else, Iroh regretted not having been present when the tiny titan was first mobbed by an assemblage of glittering jewel-encrusted highborn sons. According to Zuko, their tough little Toph had turned several vivid shades of red before burying them all up to their chins in the floor and fleeing for the hills.

She was then apparently met by a cavalcade of travelers from all over the Fire Nation, many of whom were quick to note her resemblance to posters distributed among the war-weary populace detailing the ascension of a new Firelord, along with images of the people responsible for bringing the ancient war to a close. In spite of what one might expect, no prior amount of nationalist propaganda was enough to dispel appreciation for someone so… cute. It was common knowledge among the palace staff that new funds had been set up in hospitals around the country to see to the needs of the blind.

"I hope that you have found some time to yourself over the past few days," her bed-ridden comrade continued gently.

Toph only shrugged, then began chewing a hangnail. At last she sat up and turned to regard him.

"So, are you really feeling fit enough for this? I mean, you're not just running on comet juice now, are you? You aren't going to collapse as soon as it passes, right?"

He shook his head. "I have been well-cared for since our arrival. And besides, the comet will continue to shine for over a month from now. We have plenty of time for whatever your parents and I might have to discuss."

The heiress' chin jerked up. "I knew it! They HAVE been plotting with you about me! My dad said he was just paying his respects, but I KNEW something was up! You're all out to get me, aren't you?!"

"Whatever do you mean?" Iroh feigned hurt. "How could two distinguished gentlemen possibly have anything devious in mind? I only mentioned to his Wealthiness that I happen to have a handsome nephew of marriageable age only a few years older than you, and that the two of you might have bathed together on occasion."

Her jaw sagged. "IROH! WE DIDN'T…! YOU WOULDN'T…! I'M NOT…!"

And he burst out laughing, moments before Toph tackled him.

"You're joking!" she yelled, pulling his beard viciously. "You had _better_ be joking, or I'm going to unbreak everything inside you I put back together on this trip!"

The target of her scandalized wrath merely laughed, then proceeded to untangle her tiny fists from his hair and place the fuming powerhouse back on the floor where she could see clearly.

"I told your father and mother that their daughter saved my life on more than one occasion, and that our current state of somewhat acrimonious ceasefire can be traced back to you, at least in my interpretation."

She kept her hands on one wrist, feeling for his heartbeat. "That's all?" Suspicion was written all over her face.

"No." His voice altered then, becoming serious. "I also told them that a marriage between our children would be completely moot, since I already consider you to be a member of my family." His hand came over hers. "And you should as well, Toph. It is because of you that I can look to the future with any hope. The stain upon my name has been completely washed away, and it could not have been done without you."

The head sank somewhat, gleaming black hair falling forward to cover her eyes, but Iroh thought he could pick out a tremor in her voice regardless.

"I… didn't tell you this earlier. Thought I should wait until you got your strength back completely. But back then, when we were in Koh's home, I met… your son."

She paused, uncertain of what else might need to be said about this.

After a time, Iroh coughed, and there was pain of a different sort in it.

"Did he do anything to hurt you?"

Toph did not hesitate. "No. Not really. He was just sad, and I thought he needed help. Guess I was kind of right there. But he asked me to tell you that you would… be with each other soon."

There came the faintest of sighs.

And then…

"We were."

His daughter-in-spirit shifted her feet uncomfortably.

"Oh."

Of a sudden she felt Iroh's fingers come up to touch her cheek. He spoke in a soft, grieving tone.

"And my son asked me to tell you that he is deeply sorry for what he did."

She shuddered.

"Oh."

Much fainter than before, like a whisper…

"If you ever see him again, just let him know…" and she sniffed, tears running across her skin, "… it wasn't his fault, but I still forgive him"

He leaned over and took her in his arms. The emotional Earthbender did not flinch from returning his embrace.

"Thank you for giving my boy back his honor, Toph."

She wiped her eyes on his shoulder blindly, and laughed.

"You're just as dumb as Zuko, you know? Lu Ten did that on his own." She patted his shoulder, and whispered. "I could feel it."

At last they broke away. The recuperating scholar and his attendant both had wide smiles on their faces now. There was no longer even a lingering sense of chill in the fall air.

Then Toph swung her arms back and forth, as though limbering them up. "Well, guess I'll report back to the party-planners that you're good to go. Try to save some room in your stomach. We've got dishes from four different nations to keep us occupied tomorrow."

Iroh sniffed. "Hospital food never did tempt my palate. But the green fire-jelly is something that really grows on you. Ask them to have a platter prepared for me."

"Can do."

The vertically-challenged veteran then laced her hands behind her head and sauntered casually from the room.

When she was around the corner, Iroh heard her call out, "You'd better not have tried to set me up with Zuko."

Iroh grinned. And when he was sure she was out of earshot, he mumbled one of his father's favorite sayings into his beard.

"Old age and treachery will triumph over youth and skill."

After this, he felt tired, and lay down to sleep. Somewhere overhead, a blazing comet divided the sky in two, its energy serving to strengthen and heal those who responded to its call. He felt all this as surely as Toph could sense ants walking across the dirt.

It made him truly think about everything that had happened to his family.

* * *

They arrived back at the base of the White Lotus Army on the day of his people's long-prophesied domination. Most of their cohorts had already abandoned that encampment, and journeyed to Ba Sing Se with the intention of liberating the city and defending it from the arrival of the Fire Nation Air Force. The majority of those left behind were the Benders and learned folk who specialized in healing injuries, their services being deemed most valuable after the initial conflict.

By this time, Aang was long gone, acting on some otherworldly perceptions that would lead him to the battlefield of his most dangerous enemy. Absent too were Sokka and Suki, having left to organize one of the Water Tribe warrior's off-the-cuff brilliant strategies to deal with the airships that were even now traveling over the face of their world.

And somewhere out there, Zuko was headed home, having left with Katara to confront Azula. A disgruntled group of captured Dai Li agents confirmed for them that the Firelord's heir had not joined with her father on traveling to the staging area for their grand conquest. Inexplicably, on the eve of their intended departure, Ozai had apparently undergone a series of intense mood swings. He displayed unfocused belligerence towards all around him, followed by accusations of incompetence and cowardice. And, if rumors could be believed, their former master had sent out a squadron of navy ships with the command to locate his long-lost wife. Lastly, the soon-to-be ruler of the world reversed his position on his daughter, declining to have her accompany him during the coming conflict for reasons not even touched upon. It was their opinion that the princess had not taken the snub kindly, and displayed identically erratic behavior afterwards.

Iroh, in spite of his feelings on the subject, was forbidden by his caregivers from following any of these assaults. In their opinion, the lack of pain was due to the power of the comet, and not an actual miraculous healing. He was still gravely injured, according to their assessments. And, as Toph was quick to point out, when a dozen doctors all agreed with each other, then either they were right or it was the end of the world. Her princely audience did not find this particularly reassuring, and after the healers had left, the two of them discussed their options.

This time was the worst for both of them. Neither had truly believed that slaying Koh would automatically bring an end to this worldwide conflict. But still, it had proven to be their only measurable contribution so far. And cathartic though it may have been, there was little demonstrable benefit. They alone knew that Ozai's unpredictable behavior was probably the result of reclaiming his soul's heart, or at least the loss of his spiritual overlord. But whether or not this would make any difference when he confronted Aang was not so obvious. And while both of them believed in Sokka and Zuko to a great extent, their relative chances against a flotilla of city-leveling sky marauders and a demented super-powerful pyromaniac left a lot of room for doubt and worry. In short, this conflict was far from over.

With no means of locating anyone, they were forced to wait, and pray that whatever news came to them was not more cause for grief.

Several hours later, all their wishes were granted.

Ba Sing Se was liberated.

Azula was overthrown.

And in the early hours of dawn on the second day of the comet's coming, the Avatar returned to them.

He brought with him Iroh's fallen brother.

Shortly after all the heartfelt congratulations and tearful reunions were over, Aang asked to speak with Iroh and Toph alone.

There was something about the young man now that made them almost anxious in his presence. It was not that he seemed exhausted, although clearly he did. More the fact that he _was_ a young man now, and not the flighty boy they were accustomed to seeing. There was a greater sense of maturity in his bearing. And perhaps, sadly, a bit of distance. Like he had settled into his role as the Bridge Between the Worlds, and was no longer completely one of them as a result. The consequences of Aang's newfound clarity would only come out later, when he and Katara were at last reunited, and each permitted the other to share their true feelings.

But for the time being, there were certain matters to be discussed.

First off, the scion of the Airbenders felt compelled to relate how his confrontation with the Firelord had played out. They met one another at last on the western shore of the Earth Kingdom. While Aang had been fully expecting to have to deal with an army of Firebenders, he was somewhat surprised to find that Ozai wished to challenge him personally. It was a strangely headstrong and ill-advised move, especially considering just how much manpower his adversary had brought to the field. Even before the fight started, he could see that his long-feared enemy was in some kind of difficulty. His reactions were illogical, seeming to stem from a limited willingness to reason or plan ahead. After the Avatar's plea for reconciliation was rejected, and the two superpowers began to battle in earnest, something else became apparent.

Aside from raw power, there was very little to commend Ozai's fighting style. It was strangely exhilarating and disappointing to see the supposed peak of natural Firebending prowess was little more than a proud bully with a temper. And when his tremendous attacks met with no success in the first few minutes of the duel, the Firelord become even more reckless, impetuous, and uncontrolled. No creativity was evident. Just wave after wave of comet-powered fire blasts. Admittedly for a time, Aang had been hard-pressed to break away from his natural inclinations to dodge and disable instead of directly attack. But it seemed that he had a clearer idea of just what was at stake here.

Ozai behaved as though this fight was a personal brawl between two rival hoods looking to hold power over a stretch of territory. Aang saw it as the revelation of his duty, a chance to end the war in one decisive moment, and the reconciliation of his failures with his principles. There would be no running away this time.

So he did what his oldest friend had advised. Of the two fighting, he tried to be the one to think like a mad genius.

The first move was simple. Ozai's only original trick was the power of full-fledged flight. Aang had seen a lesser example of this power in his lost battle with Azula. And ultimately, he was an Airbender. Master of that element, and by far the more experienced flyer of the two. While Ozai was busy trying to swat his puny opponent, the wily wisp of a fighter bent a series of updrafts that served to knock the Firelord about, robbing him of his sense of equilibrium. For a time there, Ozai actually flew towards the ground, mistaking which way was up. Aang then sent a small gout of controlled flame around behind his enemy's back. When Ozai finally righted himself and was drawing breath for another fire stream, he was quite shocked to find that his hair was burning. The realization caused him to lose control over the flame propulsion from his feet, leaving the bedraggled Firelord plummeting earthward at ever-increasing speed while attempting to pat out his blazing locks.

It was during this hectic struggle to remain aloft that Aang took a cue from his dreaming subconscious, swooped in and pulled off the Firebender's pants, burning them away on the wind.

After Ozai recovered himself, his martial form and his fury were dampened by the realization of how ridiculous he looked. Aang did not display humor at his adversary's predicament, and it was partly this icy-cold condemnation from his supposed nemesis that caused the leader of the Fire Nation to deteriorate even further in the perception of his vaunted superiority.

He did not attempt to fly after that, choosing instead to ignite a forest fire in the surrounding area, perhaps hoping that Aang would be more at a disadvantage in such an environment. Instead it was Ozai who found himself forced to douse his own handiwork as the earth itself reacted to hurl him off his feet towards burning bushes, or when the branches of the trees bent down to slap his face with their fiery limbs. One of those flaming brands gave him a painful blow to the left eye, leaving him half-blind and quite wild. Now singed, covered in soot and thoroughly shamed, the aspiring ruler of all men simply broke down sobbing, curling in on himself and whimpering like a lost child.

Coming upon this humiliating sight in the midst of a hellish inferno, Aang was only then made aware of the possession.

Lines of fire coalesced from the body of the weeping nobleman, reaching hungrily like twisting serpents. On the ends of those sinuous lashes, there could be seen howling faces in the flames.

Astonished by this sight, Aang could not respond when two voices called, and the forest's entire conflagration drew in upon them all.

Both combatants would have died then, had it not been for the Avatar Spirit.

In the face of death, a thousand souls came to their defense. Both Avatar and Firelord then stood wreathed in a furnace in which nothing human could survive. Inhuman evil screamed out loud, demanding blood, and through ancient eyes the living incarnation of nature's elements gazed once more on the fiery hydra. With the wisdom of ages behind him, he recognized a hideous corruption of life: the faces of two men long dead attached to their living descendant, fused to his soul by blood, hate, and the death-curse of an immortal. The conjoined hydra breathed flame from the darkest pit directly at the object of its scorn, seeking to impose their undying will on the world and people that had refused them.

Never had Aang known with such certainty the dire threat represented here. This triple Demon-God of Fire was an amalgamation of their element's most destructive properties, and now had access to three lifetimes worth of power, craft, and wrath. Were it allowed to roam free, with Sozin's Comet to empower its phenomenal strength, untold millions would die. At this stage, it might even destroy the whole world before it could be brought low. Here, then, was the reason for his existence, a clear purpose in his having lived until this day. There was no doubt or hesitation to be found. Only the unsullied desire to stand between the devastation wrought by both men and spirits, and to repair the horrific wound done ages ago by the people he was sworn to protect.

Aang abandoned his limitations, and entered the Avatar State.

He fought the great beast with everything he had, then. Here and on the spiritual plane their battle raged, his resolve and mission tested against the unleashed conquering soul of the destroyer.

The Fire Monster sought to slay him. And he knew that the fastest way to ensure the future of the world was to destroy their earthly link, by killing Ozai.

But Aang was an Airbender. More than that, he was a person! And a decent, kind one at that. No longer did he consider this an abdication of his duties. Instead, through that devotion to life came the answer.

To the fore came Roku, and he seized the screaming face of his childhood friend, holding it back. At his side there was Yang-Chen, the previous Airbender Avatar, and it was she who imprisoned the flaming mask of Azulon, who had butchered all but one of her folk. The rest held back, as Aang came forward to confront Ozai directly.

The man's eyes ran with flaming tears, and he seemed utterly lost and helpless, with not the slightest vestige of humanity left to him, enslaved by the will of his sire and grandsire.

The orphan Aang, who had never been permitted to know his own parents' face, watched that of his avowed enemy, and recognized the path to victory.

From the very air, he created a pane of water, and held it before Ozai's mad features.

"See yourself," he whispered, eyes glowing.

The one good eye focused on that image, the other half-shut with pain.

Then Aang altered the water.

"NOW SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE!!!"

The power of the Avatar showed Ozai the haunted, sick gaze of a person much younger than himself. A boy in his teens, whose face was horrendously burned, scarred by fire. One eye eternally clinched by the ghost of pain, hair on that side burnt away, and the red fleshy stump of an ear. The resemblance was undeniable.

He recognized Zuko, his eldest child.

And the words came back to him.

"_PLEASE, FATHER! I AM YOUR LOYAL SON!"_

The boy pleaded tearfully on his knees, begging for his beloved parent to show mercy. But there was no answering call within him. Urged forth by Koh and his scornful ancestors, he then proceeded to coldly mutilate his own living heir, beyond any hope of repair.

Ozai remembered what he had done.

For a few seconds, there was only simple shock.

Then reality took hold, and his damaged brain realized the enormity of this error.

With a roar of absolute fury, the Firelord reached backward and ripped the stalks of fire off his back, flinging his shrieking foreparents' twisted ghosts into the mighty inferno. The Spirit of Fire itself reached out and took their souls, drawing them away from the world of mortals, which they would never trouble again.

When this had been done, Aang caught Ozai's unconscious form in his arms. They knelt together under the glow of the flames, until after a time, that rapacious fire finally went out forever.

The damage had been done. But in the end, life prevailed. The Avatar knew this. It was a lesson he had learned from someone in this age, whom he would never have had cause or reason to meet otherwise. There on that burnt-out plain, Aang finally had no more reason to blame himself for running away so very long ago.

His tale came to an end, and his audience was spell-bound.

Aang then asked for an explanation from the two as to their involvement in recent events. They provided him with a cogent detailing of their endeavors, including Iroh's revelation of his family secret and the resultant horrors that came about as a result. They mentioned Lu Ten, Kuruk, the Fire Sages and Dai Li, as well as a few spirits that each of them had encountered to varying degrees. At last Iroh and Toph related to the Avatar their final battle with Koh the Facestealer, and the mystic monk nodded thoughtfully.

"I remember," he spoke dreamily, gray eyes staring off towards the sun. "He told me that we would meet again. I didn't really think about it. But when I entered the Avatar State I spoke with Roku, and he said that he had been called by the spirits of many people from his time to the place where they had died. He met both of you there, and told me that you had set those people free, along with a lot of others. It made me glad to know you were both okay, and at the same time, it helped explain a lot of things that had never quite made sense to me, then or now."

The living repository of bygone days then nodded, and drew himself up. Clutching his staff, he turned and looked out over the face of the world.

"It's finally over."

He proceeded to thank them for rescuing him from certain death, which both gladly accepted.

Then they returned to their fellows.

That night, for the first time in three generations of men, the world knew peace.

* * *

There was a party going on in the capitol of the Fire Nation, one that catered to a select crowd. Many such festivities were still taking place across the face of the globe in a frenzied orgy of long-repressed exultation, ranging from city-wide festivals to quiet cups of wine shared amongst neighboring farmsteads. But this one was very special. The only people invited were close friends, allies and acquaintances of the Avatar. Along with a few important personages that had been requested by the Firelord.

It was growing late. Outside the brightly lit ballroom, the lights of the city stood out like so many dancing stars.

At least, that was what half the boys who approached Toph were wont to exclaim. She was inclined to reply back with several well-crafted put-downs that had now served to leave her quite alone on a couch in the corner of the room, chowing down on spicy foods of all kinds and wondering glumly if she could exit before anyone else noticed her. The Blind Bandit was determined to have a few words with the hosts of this event come the morning. For the time being, she amused herself by inventing colorful insults for each of them.

Even with the huge windows allowing air in here and servants operating fans, it was still stiflingly hot from having over two hundred people in one space. Through the floor of obsidian and ruby jade, she could detect the swirling movements of those engaged in dancing, polite conversation, and some other activities that she was not inclined to inspect too closely. The memory of seeing from the Spirit World was growing dim within her, but Toph's accustomed senses had lost none of their perceptiveness. Her parents were out there, mingling with practiced ease among the crowds of Fire Nation, Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom nobles and studiously ignoring the rowdier party guests. A small crowd had formed around the Earth King and his beloved 'bear' Bosco. They were some distance away, so Toph could not accurately discern whether those people were there to ogle the secluded and naïve monarch or his unusual companion. She remembered hearing that pets often took on the characteristics of their masters, but in this case, it was hard to say which was which. As one of his subjects, and one of the few people to actually speak with him before a few months ago, the Bei Fong's heiress held her monarch in good regard. But considering the way her parent's heart-rates subtly spiked every time the two of them conversed, she was keeping her distance for the time being. He didn't seem to mind. Nor was the Earth King apparently aware of the potential trap brewing in the wings.

Oh well. They'd all find out soon enough, if her mom and dad had anything to say about it.

Which they didn't, as far as she was concerned.

Toph dipped a shrimp into one of the blobs on her plate and shoved it into her mouth, tail and all. The crunch they made was part of the enjoyment, as far as she was concerned. The number of seafood dishes tonight nearly matched those from the mainland, courtesy of the Northern Water Tribe royalty. Chief Arnook was currently conversing with Guru Pathik, King Bumi, and the parents of Mai and Ty Lee. Get Aang in there and you'd have a complete set, she thought idly. There was a more wide-spread selection in terms of the music tonight, though. Select entertainers from all over the world had been commissioned to perform. She recognized the musical stylings of a few Earth Kingdom troupes. But the plaintive solo melodies of the Water folk, accompanied by minimal instruments, touched something in her heart. Whenever one of them sang, it seemed to cool the place down considerably, and certainly many conversations stopped to pay heed to those ethereal sonatas. In contrast, performers of the Fire Nation jumped from stately waltzes to frenzied dances whose names she could not pronounce without taking a deep breath. The center of the hall was reserved for those who felt the need to express themselves through dance, while the other party-goers lingered on the outskirts, content to conduct their business or pay their respects without the risk of staining their fine clothes with sweat.

Actually, in the cases of some of the people Aang had invited, she could only pray that smell was due to perspiration and not anything inhuman. Foggy Swamp Tribe, she thought, I'm looking in your direction, which even a regular blind person wouldn't have trouble finding.

Toph was so caught up in her musing, she almost didn't register when a familiar pace broke away from the dance floor, weaving its way artfully through the crowd to approach her.

She placed the plate to one side, rose to her feet and bowed.

"Not you too," he murmured jokingly.

"Awww," she pulled a mournful face. "It's tough being rich and powerful, isn't it, Hot Stuff?"

Zuko snorted and gave a toss of his head, his normally unruly hair now caught up in a severe topknot. "You forgot handsome, too."

"That's what you think."

They laughed, and then both took a seat next to one another. The couch did not have any legs, allowing for Toph's to remain in contact with the floor. This was something specifically requested by Zuko, she had learned, and she was grateful for it.

"Have you had a chance to talk to your uncle yet?"

He shrugged. "I guess you could call it that. My mob of would-be girlfriends collided with his crowd of suitors, and we were able to call out a few words to each other before the opposing tides pulled us away."

"Oh brother," Toph muttered. "It's happening all over the place. I'm beginning to suspect this is all a big trap designed by our parents to get us married before anything horrible can happen to us."

"Yeah," the prince-turned-ruler chuckled. But there was no hiding the truth from her senses, and both ears and feet picked up on the tell-tale signs.

"Does it hurt to think about them?"

Zuko didn't ask to whom she might be referring.

"Yes. But that just shows I'm human."

Impulsively, Toph reached over and hooked her arm into the crook of his robe, laying her head against his shoulder. The Firelord accepted this act of compassion without any sign of awkwardness. It was a most familial gesture, and it served as a reminder for him of what family was supposed to be.

Somewhere out there, in the night, his own kin lay entombed.

It was not a final separation. Both Ozai and his daughter were still counted among the living. After accepting Azula's challenge of an Agni-Kai to ascertain dominance, Zuko had finally triumphed over his demented sibling, asserting once and for all the true source of their Firebending craft over the poisonous hatred championed by Sozin's spiritual heir. But the victory had not come without a price. Both of Ozai's children had been grievously injured in the rapacious but weirdly beautiful dance of death. Katara, who had been present as an observer, had commented on the supernal grace and skill evident in both of their forms, likening it to Waterbending for the sheer fluidity of the battle. More than anything else, Toph wished she could have taken her friend's place to witness that struggle. But in the end, she reflected that it was for the best that things had worked out this way. She could not have done as much to restore the battered pair once it was over, despite the limited supply of water Katara found in the grand square of the Royal Palace. The stubborn Earthbender also would not have been inclined to treat Azula first as Zuko had demanded, no matter how much more severe his maniacal sibling's burns might have been. The Southern Water Tribe girl was privately willing to admit that it was only due to the healing not being preempted that Azula had managed to endure, regardless of the fire-witch's seemingly miraculous survival ability.

Now the deposed Firelord and his acclaimed successor were imprisoned far to the north, in the frozen dungeons of the Water Tribe. The intense cold and limited solar radiance throughout the year served to rob them of most of their powers, despite the continued presence of Sozin's Bane in the heavens. Another month or so, and the arctic nobility would consent to cutting the guards posted about them by half. This was something Zuko had cautioned against. Ozai for certain had experienced some manner of moral renewal, to the point where he had insisted they imprison him for the crimes he had committed. His son still held out some hope for his parent's eventual release. But Azula was another matter. The crazed prodigy was no longer safe to keep in close proximity to anyone not prepared to fight for their life. Her continued existence was like a force of nature waiting to be unleashed, a wildfire, or a volcano.

Toph shuddered at the thought of what was locked up half a world away, and decided to ask her regal accomplice the question that had been on her mind since hearing about this.

"How come you tried so hard not to kill her? You can bet the thought never crossed her mind."

In response, Zuko reached up and began to stroke the top of her hairbun.

"Because she's my sister. And I care about her more than I fear her." He shook his head ruefully. "Well, I do now, at any rate."

The tiny earthmover frowned, hugging his arm tighter. "I still don't get it."

"No?" He turned to regard her. "Well, you've never had a sister before, have you? And really, neither had I. Not the way you're supposed to. I used to watch Sokka and Katara sometimes, and I wondered how they could be so comfortable around one another. Yes, they didn't get along every minute of the day. But even when they were arguing and screaming, you could see that it wasn't because they hated one another. Every moment was based on mutual love and respect. They care about the others' well-being, and wanted to do what was best for them. There just wasn't always agreement about what that might be."

Even with the constant hubbub all around her, listening to his voice made Toph feel like she could just drift off to sleep at any moment. It wasn't that she was bored or tired. More like safe and secure.

"So now you know how a brother's supposed to act, huh?" she mumbled into the rich fabric.

"Mm-hmm," he nodded in agreement, casting a look down at her. "Very much so. But you get the idea more than you might think. Don't tell me you haven't been keeping track of everyone who's come close to Aang these last few weeks."

"Pfft!" Toph snorted, blowing out the bangs that had come loose to hang before her eyes. "Even if you're right, which by the way you are, that would make me his sister, not his brother!" Unconsciously she performed a quick scan of the surrounding hall, recognizing the dainty pattering of their reincarnated savior and checking to verify there were no tell-tale bodily signs of foul-play among his admirers. Zuko's girlfriend Mai was also standing watch by him at her lover's request, her frigid demeanor no doubt serving to warn off anyone that drew too close. To either of them. Satisfied that all was well, she came back just in time to hear Zuko cough dramatically.

"Well, actually, if you were to take every boy under the age of twenty present tonight, and ask them which of the two of you was more effeminate, I think Aang would be disappointed by the results."

The Lord of the Sun flinched, expecting a punch to the arm, but instead his guest proved to be surprisingly nonviolent, choosing only to snuggle up closer to him.

"Maybe I don't care what _boys_ think! I like _men! _Warm ones."

Before Zuko's brain could come up with a suitable response, Toph shook with suppressed laughter, and leaned up to whisper in his ear.

"Are they watching us?"

Her personal headrest blinked, confused. "Who?"

"All the other girls."

He looked up, just in time to see a score of smoldering gazes be hastily redirected elsewhere.

"Ah," he grinned abashedly. "I might have told them that I would be coming back to the dance floor in just a minute. Young ladies are deadly serious about promises involving time constraints, and I've definitely broken mine."

"Well, don't keep them waiting, your Majesty! Hop to it!"

She hopped up herself, giving a firm pull on his hand. Zuko was forced to obey. But as he came to his feet, when Toph began to resume her spot on the couch, he held her back. Her head cocked slightly to the side as his strong hands encased her own.

"I haven't seen you out there tonight. Why don't you come dance with me?"

The flush of pink cheeks and the way she scrunched her shoes together looked so adorable he could hardly resist telling her so. But the violence predictable from such a statement might have marred the moment.

"Actually… maybe you should just go on without me."

Her close friend smiled curiously. "Any real reason for that?"

Toph's body language had swiftly relapsed into cool confidence. If only she could see how nervous her face was to others' eyes. "The reason is I've never danced before in my life. Nobody tried to teach me how. They said it was useless."

The thought of that unkind word being applied to her settled the matter for Zuko.

"You know how I Bend, right? You've watched me, in a way that only you can."

She swallowed a little nervously. "Yeah. Sure. I know."

A grin crinkled the deep gold eye until it matched its scarred mate. "Well, dancing follows the same principles as Firebending. Just follow my lead. You can do this, Toph. I've been watching you too, and I've seen it in you. Trust me on that."

There was uncertainty now, and a flicker of indecision. But as he suspected, such timid emotions could not hold out long before this enduring spirit.

"You'd better pray you don't embarrass me." The wealthy socialite reached up and laced their arms together. "Lead the way, your Lordship."

It took every ounce of self-control to hide the smile her performance endowed upon him. Even so, Zuko suspected she was aware of his teasing mirth, but chose not to comment upon it. Instead he set a stately pace, leading his chosen dance partner once more into the sea of swirling symbiotic steps.

The Water Tribes alluded to dance in terms of duality. Like the ocean and the moon, they taught you, first offering, next receiving. Push and pull, give and take, responding to the other's movements and signals, a distance preserved but the connection undeniable. Zuko had learned this from his mother. It served to highlight the difference in styles between both nations. For their part, the Children of Fire saw dance as a chance for two beings to become one. The blending of separate flames into a seamless whole, greater than either had been before. Exhilaration and closeness, challenging and matching, until there was no distance left in between. This was how one spoke to their partner, telling them everything with their bodies that words dared not express.

Zuko had counted on Toph's natural abilities coming to the fore in such an event. And when he extended one foot slowly forward, and saw hers instantly matching his pose, he knew that he had judged correctly.

The sight made him feel bolder, and as the music's pace began to increase he performed a swift revolution, dropping down and extending one leg out, gradually slowing his momentum to finish in a low crouch with his eyes on level with Toph's. Or rather, where they would have been, were she not in the exact same posture as him, and consequently just a bit shorter.

But even in that position, there was no missing the way her eyes shone with glee, or the breathless anticipation that gripped every muscle in her body. The education was a bit late, but clearly the student was more than willing to join in the dance.

They paired off that night. As Toph became more adapted to the demands of this unprecedented partnership, her natural litheness and smooth grace started to take control, allowing the blind dancer to do more than just anticipate movements. She began to look forward to them. In a few words, she was having fun. This expression through their bodies was like an Earthbending match without any losers. Never before had the neophyte suspected that participating in such a display would open up a whole new world, not just in the capabilities of her body, but in those of others. For the first time, it felt like she had found someone who could communicate on her own level. Through their movements. When he spread his hands, it was telling her that he was enjoying himself. If he extended them, it meant he wanted her to draw closer. Contraction and loosening of his muscles was how he courted her attention. The challenge lay in not going too far with her response, lest her unbridled enthusiasm reach past the veneer of similarity and bring out a true expression of Earthbending.

Zuko bent his knees and arched backwards, so far he was practically parallel to the floor. His arms reached up towards the roof, sweeping back and forth, fingers weaving in intricate patterns. Still in this position, he began to move around the area. The confidence in his ability to hold this form travelled through the floor, leaving her pliant in her partner's grip. No matter what Toph's brain might tell her about the contortionism necessary to pull off such a feat, she found her own body mimicking his stance, falling into step before him and moving along the same course, like two shooting stars chasing each other across the firmament. There was an excited murmuring from all around them now, evident below the song. But she could not be expected to pay it any attention. The dance was requesting her presence, and nothing more mattered. Just muscles and tendons answering their call, responding so artfully to one another that she might have been his shadow, or vice versa.

His palms struck the stone, and her acrobatic elder launched himself into the air to perform a tumbler's somersault, his long robes proving no hindrance as usual. She followed, spinning breathlessly in midair without any idea of what was going on around her. It was a presentiment born of this phenomenal joining that told her to unfold her limbs to their limit at the last second, and then he had caught her, already settled on the ground, arms resting securely under her back and legs folded beneath him.

Chords of music were fading. Firelord and Earth Goddess remained frozen in that position. One of Toph's legs was arched up towards the ceiling. The other slowly reached down until her toes touched the stone.

A faint rumble was felt by all present, passing away before anyone could remark upon it.

Zuko rose and settled his enchanting accomplice to the floor, panting and grinning foolishly. The look of exultation that Toph wore was testimony to her own enjoyment. And by the sounds of adulation that were spreading through their viewing audience, there was little doubt that they were significantly impressed by the feats of agility.

Then a dam seemed to burst, and eager suitors poured forth to engage both of them.

Recognizing that they had only a few moments of privacy left, Zuko bent down and whispered in her ear. "Try not to bring the palace down, all right?"

Her response was a swift kiss on his cheek, just below the burn mark.

"Don't wait up."

The pair of performers were caught by their respective admirers, and another dance began

* * *

The festivities in the palatial mansion had drawn to a close. The guests had all gone home or returned to their suites in the royal apartments. Servants moved silently through the halls, bringing towels and treatment where requested, or more likely sweeping up any lingering messes. Sometimes along with the people who made them. There was no denying it had been a vast success.

Firelord Zuko padded through the moonlit courtyard. More had transpired tonight than might be readily apparent. He had cemented agreement for his country providing reparations and war recovery efforts to their long-aggrieved neighbors, to begin immediately. Certain people suspected of profiteering on both sides had been confirmed, along with suitable punishments for them. And prisoners of all kinds were officially released to return to their families. No sense wasting any more time. They had all lost enough as it was.

But in addition there was a greater exchange of ideas. Many of the nobles from Ba Sing Se, Omashu and the North Pole expressed deep admiration for certain aspects of Fire Nation culture that his people were accustomed to for more than one hundred years. In particular, the hawk-driven messaging system, and public plumbing works. Hot water from a faucet certainly had its share of interested proponents. And the Bei Fong family in particular was a firm backer of flying postage, having inexplicably received one such delivery several months before the end of the war. Trends were bound to spring up as a result.

Zuko only hoped that he and the other world leaders could retain the trust of their people and keep the more aggrieved parties in line long enough for such benevolent collaboration to take root. There was definitely a lot left to resolve between the nations of the world. And, he remembered distinctly, between the world and its people. Spirits had their concerns too, after all.

There came a rumbling chirp from somewhere above him.

Looking up, Zuko caught sight of a pair of great green eyes, followed by a flash of movement. Before he could react, something landed on his shoulder.

Momo, Aang's pet lemur, licked his burnt ear. His perch winced, more out of unfamiliarity than pain. But in doing so, Zuko finally realized something. There were voices speaking nearby, low and earnest.

Some residual traits of his life as a highway robber took hold then. Cautiously, he made his way over to a path leading off the courtyard from which the sound of conversation came. He stole along that way, his slipper-shod feet making no sound. Momo remained on his shoulder.

After a few well-known paces, he had arrived at the entrance to his family's private gardens.

By the pond there sat Aang and Katara. They were deep in discussion.

"…not something I ever thought about before," his tattooed ally was saying. "But when I first saw you, it was like something changed for me. I had a reason to look forward to every day that wasn't there before that one. Maybe you didn't notice it but…"

"I did notice it, Aang." The Waterbender skipped a pebble across the water, and then had the water skip it back to her. She repeated this process. "In the same way you noticed Meng back at Aunt Wu's. Peripherally."

"How did you know about that?" He sounded curious.

"From Sokka. And please, let's try to stay on topic. This is hard enough as it is."

"You're the one who mentioned her at all," Aang was quick to retort. "I'm just trying to be honest with you here."

"I know that! And I'm trying the same thing for a change, instead of just avoiding something I find so uncomfortable! I'm looking to resolve this instead of just hoping it will go away!"

Zuko could tell she was cross as well. Perhaps they were both too tired to be doing this right now, even if it was a long time coming. But then, he reconsidered. Being tired might be just the thing to get them to say what needed to be said.

When Aang spoke next, he sounded rather weary, and sad.

"Uncomfortable? Is that how you feel around me?"

_Don't fall apart now!_ Their unseen observer urged them both silently. _You're not mind-readers, and neither of you can be called children anymore! You know what you feel, so just say it!_

He doubted his presence here could have any affect on the outcome of their soul-searching. But when Katara spoke next, there was definitely no hesitation in her.

"Yes. Sometimes. Because you look at me in a way that almost demands I look at you the same way back. And I don't even know what it is you're feeling for certain, so I don't know what it is I'm supposed to feel in return."

Her earnest admirer reached out then, and took her hand.

"It's love," he spoke softly.

Katara's eyes widened.

Aang's remained steadily trained on hers.

"The answer to the question of what I'm feeling for you is love."

His fingers encircled her palm, holding onto her. There was a gentle, beseeching tremor to his tone. Like he wanted to reassure his paramour, but was afraid of how she might respond.

At this point, Zuko decided it would be best for him to leave.

Before he could make his escape, though, there came an answer.

"The word for what I feel for you is the same…"

He increased his pace.

"But…"

Katara's voice seemed to follow him.

"The emotion behind it just isn't."

It honestly hurt him, somehow. Because regardless of everything they had once represented in his life, he knew now that Aang was a caring and considerate human being, and Katara was filled with more compassion than a person should safely be allowed. They were two exceptionally decent, loving souls, and it made perfect sense for them to be together at the end of this tale.

Except this wasn't a story. Not yet anyway. It was still their lives.

And in real life, love didn't have to make sense, and as often as not didn't.

That was something they were both going to have to live with and accept on their own.

The lord of that demesne returned to the palace proper. At some time during the last few minutes, Momo had left his shoulder. When he could not say. Somewhere behind him a heart was being broken. Perhaps the intelligent animal had sensed this and gone to be with its master. Some small comfort would certainly not hurt to get Aang through the night. Tomorrow Zuko planned to seek out his destined ally and seek to offer him counsel on such matters. Until then, it would probably be for the best if they got a good night's sleep.

A silent emblem of all things noble, the cheerless aristocrat continued into the depths of his home. Royal guards stood at paired intervals throughout the lofty halls, offering the benefit of their protection for all who slept tonight therein. Some of the sentries were invisible to the naked eye, ensconced within hidden recesses or even aloft in the rafters. Their master's experience in breaking into secured facilities had given him the benefit of knowledge, and so there were many levels of protection now active within his dwelling. With so many important personages at stake, it paid to be both cautious and crafty. Any disturbances were to be reported to him, no matter the time of night.

Passing by one door in particular, Zuko thought he recognized two more voices, only these were certainly not engaged in anything solemn. The Firelord paused in his procession. It would not do to press his ear to the wood, even if there were not security forces watching from the shadows. And besides, such demeaning acts were not necessary. In a few moments, he had his confirmation.

"Sokka…wait! Wait, wait, my hair is caught!"

"On what?"

"I can't see what, it's behind my head, genius! Why don't you tell me?"

"Hold on. Suki, stop fidgeting! I've almost got it!"

"OW!"

"Sorry, sorry, I am so sorry!"

"That hurt…"

"Stupid carved oak…uhhh…"

"Headboard."

"Headboard, yes! Why would anyone need something like this anyway? To bang your head against while you're sleeping? Are there no piles of leopard sealskins to be found anywhere in this entire evil complex?"

"Would you stop complaining and kiss me already?"

"Oh… right!"

Nothing. And then a contented sigh. Followed by a giggle.

"What?"

More giggling.

"What?! Tell me!"

"The great warrior has face paint on again."

An amused chuckle. "Well, another great warrior has hers all smudged."

"Did I ever tell you how sexy you looked in full Kyoshi regalia?"

"If that's an offer to play dress-up, then I am more than willing to participate."

"Well, then, who would I be?"

"Ummm. Azula?"

"SOKKA!"

"I found her old room, and all the stuff is still in it, so if we went rooting around in there…"

Amazed laughter. "You are so unbelievable. I can't believe the way your head works."

"This head here is the one that figured out a simple barrel of blasting jelly attached to a stone could then be launched by some Earthbenders to burst any balloon, no matter how big."

"And I'm the one who recommended we attack from behind where they probably wouldn't be looking, instead of the front where all the fire was coming from."

"See? We make a great team!"

"I agree. But before you start calling us Team Sukka or Sokki or whatever, I have a request."

"And that would be?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

There was no further conversation after that. Leaving them to their own devices, Zuko proceeded on his way, equal parts amused and dismayed. Amusement, because those two clearly were not hiding their feelings from anyone, and more power to them, he thought. Dismay, because he had agreed to set them up in a separate room together, despite the protests of their respective parents regarding such sleeping arrangements, arguing that Suki at least was mature enough to handle any situation. Somehow, he had a feeling that statement was going to be thrown in his teeth tomorrow morning.

And dismay too, because he knew someone who would never speak out against this no matter how much she wanted to.

It was obvious if you paid enough attention to her. And it was the only feeling Toph could be depended on to keep her mouth shut about. That made Zuko feel pained once again.

He resolved on something then. With heightened purpose, the master of the house swept down the darkened corridors until he reached his private quarters. Entering, he found what he wanted where he had left it the day before. Zuko had intended to present it upon their departure, but right now he saw no reason to wait. With that he returned to traversing the moonlit passages until he came at last upon one door in particular.

Her parents too had fretted at having their daughter sleep so far away from them. One would think she was made of glass, but Zuko had skillfully reassured the anxious couple that his staff was well-trained to assist her in any manner she might need. He couldn't blame them, really. While their daughter was a proven fighter and survivalist, they hadn't been there to observe her at her best, and had even been denied knowledge of whether she were alive or dead for months. Just the testimony of a couple of morons that had been pried out of a metal box. And when people loved you, second-hand accounts were poor consolation. But in the end, they had consented to follow their daughter's wishes in this regard.

Zuko knocked on the wooden portal, and then waited patiently. After a time, he picked out the sound of her moving across the room.

Toph opened the door a crack, and stood leaning against the side.

"What's up, Firedancer?"

She had only gone to bed half an hour past, so she didn't appear to be sleepy. Wrapped in a green silk and gold thread dressing gown her family had brought, the little girl had finally let her hair down, and it cascaded to her knees. Had he not been certain, the head of the household might have mistaken her for someone completely different.

"I hope you weren't asleep yet."

Toph shrugged dismissively. "Just finished my ablutions a few minutes ago. You've got nice shampoos and oils here, even if they do make your skin tingle. Did you want to borrow some, is that why you're here?"

"No. I wanted to give you something." And he knelt down before her, taking one of her hands in his own and pressing his gift into it. She examined it curiously, running her fingers all over its surface.

"Feels like good quality," she mused.

"It belonged to my mother."

In her tiny palm was a small gold hair clasp attached to a chain. The pendant was shaped into two dragons coiling in upon each other in a series of concentric rings, rising at the center so that their heads overlapped the coils to hang down together. Between their mouths there dangled a ruby teardrop on a gold fastening, with another at the end of the chain.

Toph raised her pale gaze towards his face. "Shouldn't you keep it? I thought you said there was a good chance she might still be out there."

She held it towards him, but he pressed her outstretched hand back against her heart.

"It was given to Ursa by her husband on the day of their betrothal, as a sign that she was already a member of his family, no matter what anyone said about it. When she left I found this among her things before they were all thrown out."

The parentless ruler reached up to place a hand on Toph's shoulder.

"I want you to have this, Toph Bei Fong. You fulfilled all the faith I placed in you, protected a member of the royal family, and saved him from certain death. And just as importantly, you gave me a chance to see what it's like to care for your little sister. If not for that, I might have had something to regret from winning this crown. There's still hope for all of my kin as a result. My uncle already told you this, but I wanted you to hear it from me too."

Zuko lifted her chin then.

"We consider you to be a member of our family, and in my heart especially that is true."

And he placed a warm kiss on Toph's brow.

He felt her shiver as he drew away. The girl's mouth hung open slightly. She clutched the teardrop ornament to her breast, and its namesake could be seen quivering under her dark lashes.

"If there's ever anything that makes you feel alone or unloved," Zuko continued, "just find me, and I will comfort you as best I can. No matter the reason or what distances may separate us, you can count on me to care."

The earthly angel felt a single drop fall down her face and strike the stone. She turned away then, holding her new treasure.

"Thank you, Zuko," Toph spoke softly.

She closed the door behind her, and they both went back to bed.

* * *

Toph came awake, only to realize she was dreaming.

But that being said, it was like no dream she had ever known.

Normally her nighttime visions were made entirely of darkness, and sounds without forms, an apparent result of not being able to feel anything inside your own mind. But now the blind brawler found herself somewhere real for a change, and perfectly aware of that fact.

She could see it.

If this reminded her of anything, it was the Spirit Realm, but nowhere she recognized. There looked to be a great rounded cliff stretching out before her. In the center of that circle was a small tree on a hill just a little higher than she was, with green leaves and bark the color of a pair of eyes she remembered from before. There looked to be many people going all about the tree, along with strange-looking creatures whose nature she could not guess at. They appeared to flicker in and out of view, to be replaced by new ones. But she felt certain that they were all there tending to the tree.

She seemed to be still in bed, if her guess was correct. Before she could try and verify this somehow, a small hairy creature with a brightly-colored face scampered up to join her there. It looked at her curiously, blinking in intense scrutiny.

"So what are you?" Toph asked.

"Curly-tailed blue nose."

It wasn't the monkey who said that, but someone behind her. The dreaming child looked across the bed, to find a man gazing back, sporting a finely crafted jaw, a broad nose, and gentle eyes. He was smiling at her, and there was something very familiar about him even though she had never laid eyes on his face. Maybe something about his clothing, or his hairdo, so like Zuko's.

It came to her then, with the certainty of a dream.

"Lu Ten."

The perfectly whole spirit stood and bowed forward gracefully.

"At your service, my lady."

Toph couldn't help but smile back. "So this is what you look like! I'm glad to see it."

Her companion sat back down. "I owe it all to you. Does this mean we can be friends for real now?"

"Sure we can." The girl held out a hand, and he took it. Though there was no feeling evident, this did not stop him from placing a courtly kiss on her fingers. She withdrew them embarrassedly. "So. Where are we? I'm guessing this is the Spirit Realm."

"Yes," Lu Ten inclined his head in confirmation. "A place you should be familiar with already. You don't recognize where we are?"

She turned her attention back to the tree and its attendants, then gave a negative shake of her head.

The princely spirit gestured. "What you see before you is my old home, the Tree of Truth."

Toph gaped. "No way! That?!" Once more she studied the relatively miniscule plant, trying to correlate it with the dire sky-high husk from before. "What happened?"

Lu Ten stood, and she joined him. Together they approached the supple foliage, and he began to speak once again.

"When Koh died in the mortal plane, the faces he retained were set free to rejoin their respective owners. All but a few came back here, passing through the Tree on their way home to us. Being cleansed of all falsehoods by this realm's former master, and with his ire no longer there to hinder it, our fair visages served to rejuvenate the Tree of Truth. It sloughed off the wreckage wrought by man and spirit alike, assuming its original form. When all of us saw it, we decided that something so precious would need looking after from that point on, and so now the care of the Tree has fallen to us. We're looking forward to a full recovery on its part. Especially now that things are settling down where you came from, and more people are starting to look for answers instead of just orders."

They stood together, watching the spiritual caretakers attending to their charge.

"It's really beautiful," Toph spoke happily.

The Tree glowed then, its leaves rustling together.

Lu Ten nodded. "She says, '_Thanks, so are you_.'"

"Sweet." The Blind Bandit settled down, and continued to observe the proceedings with joy. From behind them, the curly-tailed blue nose gamboled past. Reaching the base of the tree, it scrambled up into the branches. When it came back down, the primate was carrying something. This it brought back to where the two friends both now sat. The monkey proffered its offering to Toph, and after she took it, turned and ran back to join the others.

Toph examined her finding. It was small and colored a hue she was not familiar with. Before she could ask, Lu Ten supplied the answer for her. "It's the fruit of the Tree of Truth. Just a small one, really, not fully developed yet. In case you're wondering, it looks like a strawberry to me. Red, like rubies."

"It's pretty." Toph cradled the rare offering carefully now.

"Like I said, it's only a small truth." Lu Ten caught her eye, and smiled. "But I think if you try it, you'll find that it was grown just for you. By way of gratitude for all you've done."

There was honesty and trust in his words. Anyone could see that. So without further ado, the dreamer popped the berry into her mouth and bit down.

A pale light blossomed from within the Tree. It grew in intensity, until nothing else was visible, and Toph felt certain she must finally know what it was like to stare into the sun, even if it didn't hurt. From beside her, though he was no longer visible, Lu Ten spoke.

"Thank you for championing all the faceless ones, Toph Bei Fong, daughter of the earth. When you see the Avatar, tell him he has our regards, and he should stop by soon. There's still a lot left to do for the future. Give my love to the ones I left behind. My father and uncle, and my little cousins. To all the children, I bid you long lives and truest sight."

The light was so bright, there was no choice but to awake.

* * *

Toph sat up in bed. She couldn't tell for certain, but it seemed to still be night outside. There certainly wasn't enough commotion to lead her to think the palace was active. Most likely everyone would be dreaming away long after the sun came up.

In the cool silent tranquility of the slumbering city, the sightless devotee of the world brought her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her knees and resting her chin on them thoughtfully.

Like with most dreams, not everything stayed fresh in her mind, but she knew that she had dreamt it. She had spoken to Lu Ten again, assuredly, and he asked her to give Aang a message. A greeting, she thought. Hopefully she would remember that, experience let her know that even those things that you could recall clearly from a dream upon first awaking tended to fade with the morning sun. And there was also the distinct impression that she knew the color blue now, although what good that did her Toph couldn't say. Then that brought to mind the fruit from the Tree, and how she had been told what red looked like, a ruby, just like the one on her other gift tonight, and that she should send love to the family of Iroh, Zuko, and…

Behind Toph's eyes, the perpetual darkness changed to white light once more. She gasped as a vision of something newly remembered emblazoned itself on her memory, so clear and sharp in all its detail that there could be no fear of ever forgetting it.

What she saw was the face of a young man. His hair was black and shaggy, falling down to almost cover his eyes. Those selfsame orbs were a deep gleaming color reminiscent of the bark of the Tree, although one of them was seemingly half-shut. Around that side there was skin of a much heavier shade, spreading back towards one ear, which appeared to be shrunken and mistreated. The rest of his features were flawlessly inviting, and adding to this splendid persona was a slight, sweet smile that caused his cheeks to bunch and his face to practically glow with warmth.

Astonished, Toph sat on her bed clenching the sheets in her fists, picturing this appealing stranger her mind had conjured up.

Within her thoughts then, she watched his lips move as he spoke just two words.

"_Hello… Toph._"

A sensation travelled up her spine, and she shivered, recognizing her name along with something more.

The voice of the person who spoke it.

Toph's heart was beating at a frantic pace, and she placed her hands over that spot, hoping to calm it down. The bewildered beauty had to concentrate to keep her breathing steady. Her mouth was dry of a sudden, and a surge of heat traveled up her chest to infuse her face with warmth.

She felt her eyes drift closed then, mouth hanging open in silent consideration.

Certain words were running through the blossoming flower's head.

"_It's only a small truth…just for you."_

Honest, and understanding.

"…_in my heart especially that is true."_

That memory made the breath catch in her throat.

"_Are you in love with anyone?"_

A deadly soft, teasing voice asked her that simple question, but when she tried to answer it truthfully, the name that came unbidden to her lips was not the one she expected. So she swallowed the truth hastily, and told a lie.

On Toph's tongue there was a taste of something pleasant yet heretofore unrecognizable. Like a color whose name she had learned to recite but never understood the true meaning behind the word until today. After just a few seconds of pondering, though, the young woman felt she could put a name to it.

"It's love," she whispered in amazement. "True love."

For a while Toph just sat there, legs curled beneath her and hands resting in her lap while she stared uncomprehendingly at the dimly illuminated bedchamber.

"Oh brother."

She didn't think when she said it, but afterwards, the implications came back and struck home like an unerring boomerang.

The stunned savant slowly fell backwards to hit the pillows, then proceeded to bury her face in them, trying to hide from the blush she knew was turning her cheeks red.

"Why can't I fall for available guys my own age?" she wondered out loud.

The answer to this question did not magically appear, leaving Toph feeling both elated and miserable. But the worst was yet to come, she knew. Her face was a mask that could hide nothing, and before too long, her feelings would be known to everyone with the eyes to see.

So what am I going to do about this, she thought?

* * *

When the knock came, he climbed out of bed and shuffled over to the portal, donning a red silk evening gown as he did. When he reached the door, he tied the sash securely before opening it. Don't want anyone to be made uncomfortable by what he had to show, right?

As it turned out, indecent displays were nothing to be concerned about.

Toph stood out in the hallway, looking slightly anxious.

He blinked, feeling a pang of worry.

"Toph? What's wrong? Why aren't you asleep?"

She shuffled her feet, and swallowed before speaking.

"Hey, Iroh. Can we talk?"

"Of course." Without hesitation, he drew aside and allowed her to enter the room. As she padded silently in, something caught his eye.

"That is a very becoming hair clasp on you, Toph."

Her fingers came up to touch the dangling ruby briefly.

"Thanks. That's kind of what I wanted to tell you about."

**FIN.**


End file.
